The Empress of Tennis
by Explodingsushi15
Summary: Mizushima Karin is American born, an expert tennis player and the most random person in all humanity. After she makes it into the Boy's Tennis Team, she becomes famous among her opponents, but little do they know, 'famous' is an understatment.
1. An Empress Appears

"Hello Mizushima-san," Ryuzaki Sumire smiled at the old woman who had said hello a moment ago. She nodded and opened her dark brown eyes. "You are here to see Karin?"

"Yes, I got a call from your husband saying she had arrived?" she watched the old woman step aside. "Yes, Karin arrived two hours ago but she's fast asleep."

"She must be dead tired…" Ryuzaki stepped into the Japanese house and started to remove her tennis shoes. The old woman, Mizushima Jun, nodded. "Yes, I'll go wake her." With that, Jun started up the stairs. Ryuzaki walked into the kitchen and saw Mizushima Satoshi, Jun's husband, sitting at the dinner table reading a newspaper. Satoshi looked up and smiled. "Yo, Ryuzaki,"

"Hello Mizushima," Ryuzaki smiled and leaned on the kitchen counter. "How's your granddaughter?"

"Karin?" he scoffed. "She came into the house with shoes!"

Ryuzaki laughed. "Well, she's used to American customs; not Japanese,"

"I know…" Satoshi sighed heavily and flipped the newspaper's page harshly. "My daughter got Americanized too, she told me to make Karin's room to her taste!"

Ryuzaki chuckled once more until Karin came into the kitchen, yawning and scratching her eyes.

"Hey Karin, how are you?" Ryuzaki chuckled at seeing her in pajamas even though it was noon; blue pajama pants that covered her bare feet and a plain white t-shirt. Karin nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine…" she yawned and leaned against the wall. "Sleepy…"

"I'm sorry but we didn't want to keep Ryuzaki-san waiting right?" Jun walked into the kitchen and sat at the table. Karin rolled her deep ocean blue eyes and ran a hand through her shoulder length milk chocolate hair. Ryuzaki smirked. She has her father's eyes, she thought.

"So what do you want Sumire-chan?" Karin yawned again. Ryuzaki smirked once more. She and Karin share a close bond; Ryuzaki has known Karin since she was a baby and has known her ever since. Karin calls her by her first name; Ryuzaki allows it.

"Well, your father talked to me over the phone just now and told me to show you around your new school," Ryuzaki explained. Karin groaned. "Why; I have to go to school tomorrow, what's the point?"

"Seigaku's big, sweetheart," Ryuzaki teased. "Besides, you can meet the tennis team that your father wants you to personally be in."

"Ok then…" Karin eyed the clock. It was 2:45 in the afternoon. Classes end at 3:00; today is Wednesday after all. Karin sighed. "I'll start to get ready then…"

Suddenly, there was a soft cat's meow from the hallway. Ryuzaki raised an eyebrow only to see a cat, the breed being a Russian blue. Its fur was a steely gray and its eyes were a striking vivid green. It walked in a highly elegant way, rubbing her up stretched back on her owner's leg.

"Was there always a cat in this house?" Ryuzaki asked. Satoshi scoffed. "Of course not, Karin brought her from America…along with a dog."

"Her name is Jewel," Karin held her up in her arms and scratched her head, making Jewel purr. Ryuzaki raised an eyebrow. "You brought a dog too, Karin?"

"Of course, I don't go anywhere without them!" she exclaimed putting Jewel down on the floor, "especially if I'm here for a whole school year!"

"Talking about school, we need to get to Seigaku as soon as possible if you want to meet the tennis team," Ryuzaki smiled when Karin nodded happily and ran back up to her room. Satoshi shook his head with a small smirk. "Adventurous like her mother…"

Meanwhile in Seigaku, Tezuka Kunimitsu walked into the tennis courts with the regulars.

"Cheers!" The juniors and freshman cried, bowing down. Tezuka nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "Regulars in courts A, B and C; juniors in court D and freshman pick up the balls!"

"Yes buchou!" The members started to shuffle around, hurrying to their designated courts.

"What are you guys planning to do today?" Ryuzaki walked into the courts. The regulars turned to her. Oishi shrugged. "We haven't thought of anything for today,"

Ryuzaki nodded and smiled. "Look you guys, one of my former student's daughter is coming to Seigaku. Her father told me to put her in the tennis team but under my teaching so she's going to be hanging around the boy's team for the school year."

Kaidoh hissed like a snake. "A girl on our team; Sensei, that's ridiculous."

"Yeah, mamushi's right, that's a bit weird…" Momo said and Kaidoh shot him a glare. Ryuzaki chuckled and glanced at Tezuka. "Don't underestimate her; I think she can even defeat your precious captain."

"Really?" Oishi asked wide-eyed. Ryuzaki chuckled when Tezuka furrowed his eyebrows slightly, meaning he was interested.

"What's her name nya~?" Kikumaru jumped up and down. Ryuzaki was about to speak when…

"There you are!" Karin stood at the court's entrance pointing at Ryuzaki. "Seriously, I need to put you on a freaking leash; you totally ditched me at the soda machine!" She was wearing American attire consisting of a t-shirt with a colorful design, skinny jeans and black converse sneakers. The strap on her left shoulder held her plain black and blue tennis bag.

"You were taking too long…" Ryuzaki's said simply. Karin stuck her tongue at her. "Damn it Sumire-chan, I had a freaking spasm because you left me! I had to ask some girl for directions and apparently she was on acid because she was mumbling about some dude that's apparently the badass of the school!"

The regulars stood quietly, listening to the conversation while Ryuzaki laughed. "Badass of the school eh? Who is it?"

"I dunno and I don't care…" she sighed and put her hand on Ryuzaki's shoulder. "Just _don't_ do that again…"

"Is this her?" Echizen pointed. Ryuzaki nodded and shrugged Karin off her shoulder. "This is her, Mizushima Karin," Ryuzaki glanced at her with a smirk. "Who's the badass of the school?"

"I told you I don't know!" Karin stopped to think. "She said he was amazingly hot and awesome and she said that he played tennis…" Karin shrugged. "She also said he was captain of something; I don't know; I ran off before she could say anything else…"

The regulars started to snicker quietly. They knew who she was talking about. Karin shrugged obliviously and smirked. "That guy must have a sex appeal blasting through the roof!"

The regulars started laughing as Tezuka's eyes sharpened in a glare. Karin was ignorant to the glaring captain and shrugged. "What are you guys laughing at?"

"You're talking about our captain nya~!" Kikumaru giggled. Karin raised an eyebrow. "Who's your captain?"

"That'll be me," Tezuka said sternly. The regulars stopped laughing at the sound of his voice. Karin raised her eyebrows and smirked. "Well well; he _is_ hot!" Karin nodded and flashed a thumbs-up. "Yup, I give him a ten!"

"She's your responsibility Tezuka," Ryuzaki walked out of the courts. Karin watched the coach walk out momentarily and then back at the regulars. "So his name's Tezuka?" She laughed. "That's some weird-ass name; Te-zu-ka! Te-heh-heh-Tezuka!" she sounded out and chanted his name, only making him angrier. The regulars fought the urge to laugh.

"Mizushima-san," Tezuka sighed irritably, trying to keep his cool. Karin smiled. "What?"

"Do 10 laps around the courts _now_." 


	2. The Emperor and The Samurai

"She's the first girl that's ever told you that straight up, huh Tezuka?" Fuji smiled, walking over to him. Tezuka furrowed his eyebrows and eyed Karin running the laps. It took a few minutes for her to soak in the order and actually run the laps.

"That was rude Fuji, and you know that."

"That might be…" Fuji chuckled. Tezuka sighed and watched the regulars practice. Inui walked over and closed his notebook. "100% sure you're talking about Mizushima Karin."

"Correct as always Inui," Fuji smiled. "Tezuka's still surprised that Mizushima-san disrespected him that way."

Inui smirked. "She's one of a kind, I wonder what student of Ryuzaki's she's the daughter of…" Inui flipped through his notebook. "It can't be Echizen Nanjiro; she doesn't have the same surname and she doesn't seem to be related to the Echizen Family."

"It doesn't matter to me," the ever so cold Tezuka said. Fuji's smile faded. "Don't be so cruel, Tezuka," his smile then returned. "Ryuzaki said she _is_ capable of beating you in a match…"

Tezuka ignored his comment. Inui suddenly nodded towards Karin who walked into the courts at the moment. She walked over to them and lightly punched Inui's arm. "Let's play some tennis!"

"Well you're energetic," Fuji smiled. Karin nodded with a smile. "Fuji…Shusuke; right?"

They had introduced themselves earlier.

Fuji nodded with a grin. She looked at Inui. "Inui...Sadaharu?"

"Bingo," he smiled. Karin smiled too and looked at Tezuka. She laughed and poked him in the belly. "Te-heh-heh-Tezuka!"

"Run 10 more laps," he spoke in a deadly tone. Karin stuck his tongue at him. "I already ran 10 laps! Go lick some ovaries,"

Fuji laughed loudly at this. Karin blinked and smiled weakly. "You found that funny Fuji-san?"

"Hilarious!" Fuji exclaimed. "You're my new best friend; you can call me Shusuke."

"And you can call me Karin," Karin followed his path and Tezuka wasn't too happy. Karin then glanced up at him and poked him in the arm. "C'mon Tezuka, I don't mean that…unless you want too…"

Fuji burst into laughter and Inui chuckled. Tezuka glared at the girl in front of him and took a step forward. Karin saw this and quickly hid behind the laughing Fuji and Inui. Tezuka sighed and rolled his eyes. Karin smiled and quietly high fived Fuji. She glanced at the furious and embarrassed captain. "No jokes Tezuka, can I play tennis, if that's alright?"

Tezuka rolled his eyes and nodded. "Fine, you can play with Echizen." Tezuka called Echizen to the front.

"Yes buchou?" The freshman walked over and glanced at Karin. He nodded his head as a greeting. Karin smiled. So this is Nanjiro's son eh, she thought. He's grown a lot since I last saw him.

Karin met Ryoma when he was two years old. She was four at the time but she remembers. Echizen probably doesn't remember their first meeting.

"Echizen, I need you to play a match with Mizushima," the captain said strictly. Echizen glanced at Karin and nodded. "Ok,"

They took their places on the courts. Everyone had stopped what they were doing to see the match. Inui sat at the umpire seat. He took this opportunity to get some information on the girl that is capable of defeating Tezuka.

"One set match, Echizen to serve!" Inui declared. Karin got ready. She had changed into her usual tennis outfit consisting of a light blue polo shirt and white shorts with Nike white and blue tennis shoes. She wore a white cap like Ryoma's with three stitched little bars on the front one bigger than the other, indicating it was of the brand Adidas.

Ryoma smirked and bounced the ball a couple times on the court. "Mada mada dane," he said before he tossed the ball and swiftly hit it. Karin raised an eyebrow at his quote but shrugged it off and went for the ball. When the ball hit the floor however, it curved towards her face. She arched her back, avoiding the ball by half an inch. She didn't look very surprised.

"15-love," Inui said. Karin smiled and walked back to the baseline without saying a word. Ryoma shrugged and served the twist serve again, only this time, Karin returned it faster than light itself.

"15 all,"

Ryoma looked back the ball that was caught in the fence. He gulped the lump in his throat. Karin smirked. "I didn't know you could use the twist serve!" she then scoffed seriously and pointed her metallic racquet at him. "That move's _really_ boring, try something else."

Ryoma served again, this time it was a fast slice. Karin again hit it like it was nothing.

"15-30,"

"C'mon Echizen Ryoma!" Karin taunted, returning the ball swiftly. Echizen growled and smashed the ball but Karin lobbed it to the baseline where Echizen missed it.

"15-40,"

Echizen served again. Karin hit it back quickly. Echizen returned it normally. Karin volleyed the ball, hit the net and crossed to his side. He got there too late.

"Game, Mizushima," Inui said, scribbling in his notebook. Karin smiled. "I expected more from the Samurai Junior…" she swung her racquet over her shoulder and glanced at him with a sly smirk, "but you don't always get what you want do you?"

Echizen looked down at his feet but then chuckled and smirked. He looked up at Karin with his light hazel eyes. "Mada mada dane!" He switched his racquet to his left hand. Karin blinked, lowered her racquet and pointed her finger at the freshman. "You're lefty too?"

Echizen's smirk faded. "What?"

Karin smiled and switched to her left hand. "We have something in common Echizen Ryoma!"

The regulars were surprised at this. Tezuka stood there with his usual expression and Fuji had already opened his eyes.

"Tell me Echizen-chan…" Karin bounced the ball on the court, and then glanced at him. "You were born here in Japan?" Karin knew the answer to this question, but she wanted to be a tease.

"No, America," Ryoma started to hop up and down. Karin raised an eyebrow. Split step huh?

"Ok!" Karin tossed the ball. It all happened in slow motion. She arched her back and jumped a few centimeters of the ground. She swung her arm around her shoulders and hit the ball hard.

Echizen ran to the ball but then when the ball landed, it spun on the ground and shot up, curving towards his face, but it was stronger; faster.

"Twist serve!" the freshman cried. Karin shook her head and pointed her racquet at them. "Nope! For me, it's called the American Twist Serve."

"Why the American Twist Serve?" Inui asked. Karin smiled. "It's because I have different styles of the twist serve up my sleeve so I name them after countries,"

"Like what?" Inui pressured her for answers, but she shook her head. "I'm not telling you!"

Meanwhile in the main building, Ryuzaki Sumire looked through some magazines that the reporter for Monthly Pro Tennis, Inoue, brought her. She flipped through one of the magazines to see:

"You wrote this Inoue?" she asked, pointing. Inoue leaned over the desk to see then nodded. "Yes, I was in charge of those two articles!"

On one page was Echizen Nanjiro, a former student of Ryuzaki. There was information and snapshots of him when he was a pro in America. On the other was Namikaze Kaichi, also a former student. He is a tall man, as tall as Nanjiro. He has a bright smile and a contagious laugh. His short spiky hair was bright canary blonde; with bangs that rested above his sharp, deep ocean blue eyes.

"You're a fan of Namikaze?" she asked. Inoue nodded excitably. "Of course, I'm a fan of his and Echizen Nanjiro's!" he smiled. "Namikaze Kaichi is number one in all of America and Europe!"

"Yes he is…" Ryuzaki smiled at her former student. Inoue shrugged. "I don't get it though, Echizen had the world at his fingertips and just retired and here we have Namikaze that won the Grand Slam three times!"

"Hard-headed as always…" Ryuzaki smiled at the snapshots of him playing at the Grand Slam. Inoue shrugged. "I find it weird though, Echizen is called the '_Samurai from the land of the Sakura'_ and Namikaze is the_ 'Emperor of the land of the Sakura'_…"

Ryuzaki turned on her swivel chair towards the window facing the tennis courts. She saw Ryoma playing a match with Karin. Ryuzaki Sumire smirked. "Oh Inoue…you just haven't heard the tale of the Emperor and the Samurai…"


	3. First Day

Karin groaned as she slammed her annoying alarm clock to a stop. It was 7:00 a.m. and Ryuzaki said that you need to be in school by 8:00.

Karin got up from her bed and realized she didn't have any shoes by her bed. She looked around and sighed. "Right…I'm in Japan…" Karin's room, unlike her grandparent's house, was Americanized or 'Western-style'. Karin liked the way her mom perfectly designed her room and this was just through the phone!

Her room has a large window that faces the backyard. Next to that window was her full sized bed and nightstand. In front of her bed was a furry white square rug and at the far left corner, away from the bed, was a blue beanbag. On the right far corner of the rug, Karin keeps her tennis bag against that wall. On the same wall, there's her bathroom and closet. Lastly, a few feet from her bed, her desk with a computer is there with a swivel chair. Her room colors are her favorites; light green and blue with occasional white.

Karin stretched her arms upwards until she heard a small meow from under her covers. There, under the sheets was Jewel, looking up at her beloved owner with vivid green eyes. Karin scratched her head and she purred.

Karin quickly got dressed and went downstairs, Jewel at her feet. Karin dreaded every minute she walked around with that uniform; a skirt and sailor shirt. In America I wear pants and a polo shirt; I don't need this, she thought bitterly. She sat at the table only to see, much to her amusement, a western style breakfast. She looked over at her grandmother quizzically. "Why'd you…?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't be used to a Japanese style breakfast," Jun walked over and placed a cup of orange juice on the table. "Eat up."

Karin began eating happily. As she was finishing, there was a loud crash from the living room and then heavy footsteps were heard. Then barking was heard. Karin smiled and whistled. Her German shepherd dog, Ramesses, came into the room and jumped onto Karin. He's a very playful and friendly dog, despite what German shepherds are known for.

"Ok, ok Ramesses!" she giggled, pushing the big dog away. Her grandfather came into the kitchen looking like a train wreck; his dark green kimono was all messed up and his gray hair was a mess as well. Jun laughed along with Karin.

"Honey, what happened?" Jun asked. Satoshi fixed his kimono and pointed at Ramesses. "I was trying to get something I had left in the backyard and the dog attacked me!"

"He didn't attack you ojii-san; don't be so exaggerated…" Karin stood from the table and picked up her tennis bag. "I'm going to school!"

"Have a good day!" Jun cried back. Jewel went up to Karin's room and Ramesses followed his owner until she had to close the gate on him. He whimpered but Karin patted his head through the bars. "Don't worry buddy, I'll be back,"

Karin arrived at Seigaku in time and got her class number from the principle.

Class 3-1…?She thought as she walked. Where the hell is that?

"Nya~! It's Mizushima-san!" an excited voice rang behind Karin. She turned to see the red headed Kikumaru Eiji and Fuji Shusuke. She waved happily. "It's ok; you can call me Karin,"

"Hoi hoi, Karin-chan nya~!" he beamed. "You can call me Eiji then!"

Karin nodded and waved at Fuji. "Morning, Shusuke-kun,"

"Morning, where's your class?" he asked. Karin shrugged. "Class 3-1, why?"

Fuji opened his eyes in surprise and Kikumaru's eyes widened in astonishment as well. They exchanged glances momentarily but then regained their normal expressions. "Oh that's too bad," Fuji shrugged sadly. "You could've been in our class."

"You two are in the same class?" she asked and they nodded. She then smiled shyly. "I need help finding mine though…" she was surprised to see the Fuji smirked evilly and Kikumaru snickered.

They led her to her classroom. They couldn't stop snickering as they approached and Karin was fed up. She stopped at the door and turned to them. "Why are you guys laughing?"

"Because…" Fuji slid opened the door. They all looked inside to see students chatting and laughing and Tezuka…quietly reading a book at his desk. Karin gasped and smiled at the same time. Fuji smirked evilly. Kikumaru snickered. Karin ran into the classroom and slid on her feet until she calmly came to a stop in front of his desk.

"Te-heh-heh-Tezuka!" she sang. The class became quiet. Fuji and Kikumaru started laughing at the doorway. Tezuka looked up from his book to see Karin smiling happily in front of him. His face didn't show it but he was a bit terrified of seeing Karin in his class.

Tezuka stared silently at Karin for a while before speaking. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm in your class!" she poked his forehead. "Prepare to meet your doom Te-zu-ka." She sounded out his name in syllables. The class started murmuring to themselves. Fuji and Kikumaru left and soon the teacher arrived. He introduced Karin and so forth…

"Do you ever like…open your mouth to say anything?" Karin walked down the hallway with Tezuka. Tezuka closed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows. "Hnn,"

"Ugh, you're so boring!" Karin parted ways from the stoic captain and made her way to Ryuzaki's office, who greeted her happily. "What's up Karin-chan?"

"I wanna become a regular for the boys' team—can I?" she asked. Ryuzaki shrugged and leaned back on her swivel chair. "You could, there's nothing in the book that says you can't be…" she smiled. "You just gotta convince the precious little captain that you're worthy of being in the team!"

"How in hell am I supposed to do that?" Karin flared. "He's a freaking statue!"

"Well, you're the master of getting on people's nerves to get what you want," she said happily. "Even a statue like Tezuka has limits…"

A few minutes later on the courts, Karin was already following Tezuka around, begging him to let her be a regular for his team.

"Please?" she batted her eyelashes at him. He grunted and walked a few steps away from her. "No Mizushima,"

"Please, please, please, please?" she pressured. Tezuka sighed. "No."

"C'mon Tezuka, Te-heh-heh-Tezuka!" she rolled her eyes, thinking of a new nickname. "Ka-zu-te?"

He blinked when he heard his name backwards, but nevertheless, he shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "No."

On the other side of the court, Oishi, Kikumaru, Momo, Kawamura and Fuji listened to Karin's pleads and Tezuka's denials.

"What is she trying to do?" asked the timid Kawamura. Fuji's eyes opened momentarily. "She's trying to become a regular for the boy's team."

"Do you think that's right—I mean—there's a girl's team she can try-out for…" Oishi stammered. Momo shook his head. "No; Mizushima-san can beat all the girls in the girl's tennis team! Didn't you see her playing with Echizen; besides, Ryuzaki-sensei even said she's capable of beating the buchou!"

"Hoi hoi; Tezuka-buchou should let her join!"

"I'm with Kikumaru-senpai!" Momo declared.

"Fine," Tezuka glared down at Karin. Karin made a squeaky sound at the look on his face but Karin raised an eyebrow. "Fine, what?"

"Fine; if you defeat all the juniors and seniors and defeat a regular, you're in the team." Tezuka stuffed his hands in his pockets and closed his eyes. "If you do succeed then I'll let you be part of the team…"

"Thank you thank you!" she cried and jumped around happily. Tezuka sighed and left the courts. Karin kept jumping around until the group that was talking earlier came over.

"So Tezuka, let you be on the team?" asked Kawamura. Karin shook her head but she was still smiling. "Nah, he won't give me the position that easily," she rolled her eyes. "I need to beat all the juniors and seniors and then beat a regular."

"Do you think you can do it?" asked Momo. Karin shrugged. "Sure,"

Looks like she pulled it off…Ryuzaki thought as Tezuka came into her office. Either way, she smiled. "Is Karin troubling you, Tezuka?"

"She's shameless, immature and disrespectful…" he said sternly and a bit irritated. "Are all Americans like this?"

"She just grew up in different customs Tezuka," Ryuzaki responded and placed her elbows on her desk. "So what was she driving you crazy with?"

"She was begging me to put her into the team; I was going to ask you if you approve this,"

"Of course, Karin is a very good player," Ryuzaki laughed. "But knowing you, you won't give her the position that easily."

"It's only fair, sensei," he said. "I was thinking that if she defeats all the juniors and seniors and if she defeats a regular, she could be on the team."

"Good idea," Ryuzaki smiled at him. "Who do you have in mind?"


	4. The Empress's Royal Play

That night, Karin got a phone call from Ryuzaki saying about her matches tomorrow. Tezuka talked to Ryuzaki about it and she said it was fine. The rules were simple; beat the 12 juniors and the 6 seniors on the tennis team and then beat a mysterious regular—Ryuzaki refused to tell Karin who the regular was; not that she cared, she likes a good mystery.

Karin switched through the channels on the TV in the living room. She had finished connecting her Xbox 360 and Wii, but didn't feel like playing because it was a challenge connecting the game consoles. Jewel sat on her lap, curled up in a ball. She purred when Karin petted her head.

"Karin!" called her grandmother from the kitchen, "time for dinner!"

"Ok!" Karin placed Jewel on the floor and headed to the kitchen, the steel grey cat following. When she got to the kitchen, Ramesses was at his bowl wolfing down his meal, her grandmother was at the stove and her grandfather was at the table. Jewel calmly walked to her food bowl and gracefully started to eat.

Karin sat down and in front of her were two bowls, one with white rice and the other with soup. On a plate next to the bowls were triangular rice balls wrapped in seaweed and lastly, a cup of tea. Karin blinked twice and glanced at her grandmother. "Obaa-chan, what is this?"

Jun walked over and sat down next to her husband. "I would've made you macaroni-and-cheese like last night but your grandfather urged me to make a Japanese dinner tonight."

"Why?" Karin pouted. Satoshi crossed his arms over his chest. "I was forced to eat that cheese—whatever it is—and it was gross, you're eating like the Japanese girl you are!"

"You're so mean!" Karin pouted but then eyes the food. "I've never really eaten this for dinner but I guess I could try something new…"

"That's the spirit!" Satoshi grinned. By the end of dinner time, Karin had to admit that was a good dinner.

The next day after classes, Karin walked alone to the courts. That asshole Tezuka, she thought bitterly. Ditching me like that.

When she got to the courts, Inui was standing by a white board, writing stuff down. Karin raised an eyebrow and walked over. "Hey Inui-san, what are you doing?"

He looked over, his fogged glasses somehow shined in the sunlight. Karin realized that Inui wasn't a regular yesterday; he used too though, he's the manager for now. He was wearing a white t-shirt and green sweatpants.

"I'm in charge of writing down your scores for today," he stepped aside to let her see. Karin nodded. "Ah…so Tezuka wasn't joking around."

"Tezuka never jokes around, Mizushima-san…" he trailed off to write some more on the board. Karin smiled. "By the way, you can just call me Karin; I don't have a problem with that."

Inui looked over and smiled. "Alright then Karin-chan," he said. "It's only fair; you can call me by my first name as well."

"Cool, Sadaharu-chan!" she beamed.

Later on that same day, Tezuka and Oishi stood by the courts.

"You think she can pull it off Tezuka?" Oishi asked his captain. Tezuka didn't answer. He watched Karin play the fifth junior through the fence. She had won the last four in straight sets.

"Game and match, Mizushima! Six games to love!"

Make those five straight sets.

"I'm not sure," Tezuka sighed.

Oishi chuckled. "To think that if she succeeds she'll be the first and only girl worthy of being on our team…" he laced his fingers on the fence. "That'll attract a lot of attention from the media."

"I know that," Tezuka inquired. "We can't let our guard down."

"Finally!" Karin cried when she finished all of her matches. She had won every single one in straight sets; she didn't even need to use her special serves or any other technique really; all she needed was basic play. She was relieved at this though, now she gets the real challenge.

"Nya~! Good job Karin-chan!" Kikumaru beamed at Karin. She smiled. "Thanks Eiji-chan,"

"Alright Mizushima," Tezuka stood in front of her outside the court with the team. "You will now be playing with one of the regulars and—"

"I know that, get on with it," Karin rolled her eyes. Some of the regulars snickered a bit at this. Tezuka glared at the girl in front of him but sighed. "Your opponent will be…"

Karin waited for him to say it, but then Ryuzaki stepped in. "Fuji," she said. "Your opponent is Fuji Shusuke."

"Shusuke-kun?" she questioned. Everyone was surprised at this but nevertheless, Fuji smiled. "Yep, I'm your mystery opponent; let's go play."

Karin nodded. "Ok!"

As they walked to the courts, Tezuka caught up to Ryuzaki. "Sensei," he began. "I thought Kaidoh was going to be—"

"Yeah, I changed it Tezuka," she said, standing by the fence. "With Fuji, I think she'll show at least some of her true play…"

"Her true play…?" Tezuka asked. Ryuzaki shrugged. "You'll find out soon enough…"

"Shusuke-kun, are you ok with this?" Karin shook his hand at the net. Fuji shrugged. "It's a surprising change in plans but it'll do. It's an honor to play with someone who won all the juniors and seniors in straight sets."

Karin smiled warmly. They stood at the court. The referee raised his hand. "One set match, Mizushima to serve!"

"Ok…" Karin bounced the ball a couple times on the court. Fuji waited patiently for the serve. Karin tossed the ball in the air. Again, everything happened in slow motion; she arched her back, swung her arm over and hit the ball.

Fuji, still smiling (and not taking her seriously for that matter), expected the American Twist Serve and he was right. The ball spun on the floor momentarily and then shot up to his face. It curved more than Echizen's serve but he returned it either way.

Karin was surprised at this but nonetheless, she returned the ball. Fuji volleyed the ball close to the net. Karin blinked and ran up to the ball and just as it bounced, she shot it upwards, reaching the baseline and thus, Fuji had less time to react.

"Super Rising…" Fuji whispered to himself, slightly amused. "She did it perfectly…"

"15-love!" the referee said. Karin served again, she did it normally though. Fuji chuckled to himself and returned. Karin noticed he wasn't playing her seriously, but she knew that if she showed him the '_it' _move, he'll take her seriously…she'll have to wait and give him time though.

Both were at it until Karin won that game. Fuji served next; Karin let him win four games just to make him feel more comfortable. Of course, she made it look like she was trying. Karin likes to play with her opponent like this, bring them up and then crush them down.

"Tell me Shusuke-kun," Karin bounced the ball on the court before glancing over. "You're Japanese right?"

"Yup, born in Tokyo," he said happily. Karin smirked. "Shusuke," she said this in a tone that made his smile turn into a frown. She tossed the ball in the air. "You picked one hell of a bad day to be Japanese…"

Karin hopped slightly and sliced her racquet on the ball on the side, made a topspin and then, though it's too small to see by the human eye, she makes another slice on the other side. The ball crossed to Fuji's court. Fuji, frowning now, got ready to return the ball but, when it bounced, it shot up to the side of his face which is almost impossible to return at this point. Then it made a sharp plunge to the court where it spun a few times and stopped in its location.

"30…love," the referee said weakly. Fuji opened his eyes in amusement, standing on the court up straight still astonished by the serve. Karin swung her racquet over her shoulder and smiled. "That's the Japanese Twist Serve; _one_ of many."

"American and now Japanese…" Inui scribbled that down on his dark green notebook. "Shot to face…goes over shoulder…no bounce…"

Tezuka was surprised at this though he didn't show it through his expression. The regulars were all astonished as well, even more so then Tezuka and Fuji. Ryuzaki just stood there smiling. She looked at Karin's deep, ocean blue eyes. Ryuzaki smiled. She has her father's eyes…

Fuji furrowed his eyebrows and walked back to the baseline. She's better than I thought,he thought. I might have to go all out on this if I want to make this fun.

Fuji crouched down his back a bit, awaiting Karin's serve. Fuji sharpened his already sharp eyes. I understand her now. She made me win on purpose to win my overconfidence and then brings me down, he thought.

"Fuji's getting serious," Kawamura said timidly. Oishi nodded. "Yeah, I think Karin brought out his true self."

Tezuka remained silent. He never realized Karin to be good enough to bring out the real Fuji; he only saw Karin play basically, like what you need to learn how to play tennis. He never thought the disrespectful and childish Karin could play this well.

"You're pretty good Karin-chan!" Fuji shot the ball back to her court. Karin smirked. "Thanks!" She switched her racquet to her right hand and shot the ball away from Fuji to the corner of the baseline.

"Game, Mizushima!" cried the umpire. "Four games all!"

"Alright, she tied it," Kawamura said smiling. "This has been a long game!"

"They've been playing for over an hour." Inui scribbled more stuff onto his notebook. Karin sighed and faced the referee. "Excuse me, can I get something from my bag really quick?"

"Yes, make it fast Mizushima-san," he replied. Karin nodded and calmly walked over to her back and zipped it open. She took off her white hat, put it into the bag and then pulled out one exactly like the white one, only it was bright red. She zipped her bag closed and walked back to the courts. When she got there, she put of the hat and adjusted it.

"Looks like she's going to do her true play…" Ryuzaki crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. The regulars next to her glanced over. Tezuka didn't look over, but he was listening.

"Her true play?" Oishi asked. She nodded. "Yes, when Karin wears that red hat, it's an indication …" she trailed off. "It's called her Royal Play,"

"Royal…play…?" Echizen asked. "Why is it called her Royal Play?"

"Because Ryoma…" Ryuzaki trailed off to glance at Karin. "Where she's from; she's known as _The Empress_."


	5. Suck On That Tezuka!

The Empress…? Tezuka thought, watching Karin adjust her bright red hat. I wonder what that Royal Play of hers is…

Karin finished adjusting her hat and went back to the match. Karin took at a tennis ball from her pocket and bounced it on the court a few times. She tossed it in the air and served. Fuji returned the ball. Karin watched the ball and time seemed to stop completely. While watching the ball, her pupils enlarged slightly and then shrunk. She momentarily looked at where Fuji was standing. Like the scope of a sniper, Karin pinpointed the spot. Karin returned the ball.

Fuji saw this was no ordinary return but he didn't expect the lightning fast ball to bounce/hit at his right foot. Fuji, startled, almost fell back but miraculously kept his balance. The ball was calmly resting on the court.

"15-love," the referee said. The regulars watching all gasped.

"Why did she aim at his foot?" Oishi asked frantically. Ryuzaki chuckled lightly. "That's the Royal Play Oishi," she started to explain. "When Karin was young she realized that the tennis player's weak spot is his or her feet, so what she did was practice pinpointing for at least four years."

"So she aims at the feet…?" Kaidoh muttered. "Those shots are almost impossible to return."

"Exactly, it's a very difficult play that Karin invented herself. Although, it does have a consequence…"

"A consequence?" asked Momo. Ryuzaki nodded. "Nothing life threatening obviously. It's just that that specific play tires Karin out a lot, no matter how used to it she is; she only plays like this when it's her only choice, or when she wants to end things quickly…" Ryuzaki paused, "or when she's merely in the mood."

Karin served again. Fuji shot the ball back but Karin was already at the net and she shot it at the side of his left foot.

"30-love," the referee declared. Fuji clenched his teeth. He had to admit this was tough, he couldn't use any of his counters; there was no wind, she wasn't doing any smashes and she wasn't doing any topspins…he was in a dire situation.

Karin served again. It was the Japanese Twist Serve. Fuji didn't have time to react.

"40-love," the referee said. Momo sighed. "Man, Fuji-senpai is getting pushed hard…"

Tezuka was surprised that Karin was pushing Fuji this hard. He never thought that Karin would make such a technique.

"Game, Mizushima. Five games to four!"

Fuji was out of breath. He had never played this much in his life. Karin was already feeling tired because of the Royal Play, but she only needed to win one more game and that's it. Fuji was a tough opponent she had to admit; he was too persistent.

Fuji served the ball in a slice. Karin ran to it and again, pinpointed a spot. She returned the ball quickly. Fuji was surprised to see that she aimed at the exact corner of the baseline rather than his feet, which he was prepared for. Karin's Royal Play might be shots aimed at the feet, but she also tends to trick the opponent and return precise shots at the corners of the court and so forth.

The match continued. The score was 40-30; Karin leading. Fuji served quickly. Karin returned the ball. Fuji tried to add a spin to the ball but Karin volleyed it before it took any effect. Fuji took this chance and lobbed it to the baseline but Karin was at the net. Looking down, she pinpointed the spot between his shoe and the floor. She returned it with a slice. The ball hit in the spot between his shoe and the floor and because of the position, it went frontward and hit the net.

"Game and match, Mizushima. Six games to four!" the referee declared. Fuji, gasping for air, took one deep breath and closed his eyes with a smile. He tried his hardest and even though he lost, at least Karin gets to be on the team now.

Karin was tired as well. She grinned widely and pointed at Tezuka. "Ha! In your face!" she cried. "Suck on that Tezuka!"

The regulars snickered and Tezuka rolled his eyes irritably. Karin walked to the net and shook hands with Fuji. She smiled meekly. "You're not mad are you?"

"Of course not!" he said happily. "You were better than me! This just tells me I need to improve!"

"Glad you take it that way," Karin smiled. Fuji smiled as well. "You _are_ my new best friend Karin-chan,"

"Yes I am Shusuke-kun…" Karin smirked and glanced at Tezuka. She stuck her tongue at him playfully. Tezuka just looked to the side. She's so immature, he thought.

Karin walked out of the courts with Fuji. Ryuzaki smiled. "Good job, Karin."

"Thanks," Karin said. Kikumaru hopped and hugged her. "Nya~! Karin-chan's on our team now!"

"Here Karin, write down your size," Ryuzaki gave her a small piece of paper after she had finished changing to her casual American attire. No way in hell she was going home in a skirt; after school, she immediately changes to her American clothing.

"For what?" she asked. Oishi smiled. "For the uniform shirt and jersey, your name gets stitched on the jersey."

"Cool!" she beamed and walked over to Tezuka. "Turn around,"

"Why?" he asked sternly. Karin rolled her eyes and turned him around roughly. He was startled by this but paid no mind. She placed the piece of paper on his back and started to write down her size with a pen. The regulars laughed silently at this. She finished writing and handed the paper to the coach. She chuckled. "That was an interesting way of writing something down…"

Tezuka turned around and crossed his arms over his chest; his face serious as ever. Karin smiled at her new team. The Empress has finally become part of the Seigaku Boys Tennis Team.


	6. One Saturday Afternoon

Today was Saturday. Yesterday, Karin had beaten Fuji and became a regular for the boy's team. Karin was happy. Besides completing her father's wish of becoming the first girl on the team, she can make Tezuka's life a living hell! She really doesn't know why she likes to bother him a lot; she's guessing it's just for the fun of it.

Ramesses barked happily, snapping Karin out of her thoughts. She smiled and patted his head. She didn't need a leash for Ramesses; he might be energetic and playful but he always listens to Karin no matter what. Ramesses is the standard German shepherd with a tan and black coat and a bushy slightly curved tail.

Karin had gotten a call from Ryuzaki saying that the jersey was finished. She hurried to the sport shop and at the same time, decided to take Ramesses for a walk; he hasn't been out of that house since she arrived in Tokyo.

Karin eyed the sign on the tennis shop's roof and smiled. This is it, she thought.

She opened the door and entered the store. The owner and his assistant stood at the register, talking. Karin couldn't hear them though.

"Wow, this is the slimmest jersey we've made so far!" the owner said. His assistant nodded. "Yeah, Seigaku's new regular must have a girly body…"

Ramesses barked at the doorway. The salesmen glanced over quickly. The owner pointed at the dog. "No dogs allowed here,"

"Don't worry about it," Karin smiled. "He's a good boy." Karin patted his head and said 'sit'. The canine sat obediently. The owner shrugged. "Ok…just make sure he doesn't eat anything."

"I don't think he'll eat anything sir," Karin walked into the store. The shepherd followed calmly. Karin put her tennis bag on the floor and took out a piece of paper. She handed it to the owner. "I'm here to pick up my jersey,"

"You're the new Seigaku regular?" the assistant said stunned. Karin raised an eyebrow at him. "Why are you so surprised?"

"Well…it's just…" he stammered. Karin smiled. "It's alright, I'm still getting used to this myself."

The owner put the jersey and uniform shirt into a plastic bag and handed it to Karin. She already had her jersey but she decided to look around the shop; this was her first time coming in here. While she was looking at the shoe section, someone called out to her.

"Mizushima," said a stern voice behind her. She blinked and turned to see Tezuka standing a few feet from her. She was surprised to see him in casual clothing; he was wearing a black t-shirt with a long sleeved lavender shirt, but the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and it was unbuttoned. He also wore beige pants and tan shoes.

Karin beamed and flung her arms around. "Te-heh-heh-Tezuka!" she said this loudly and then stuck out her tongue. "Wazzup?"

He rolled his eyes at her rudeness. He then glanced at her again. "You picked up your jersey?"

"No, I came here to pick up yellow elephants that were imported from a planet that has Canadian archers making salsa," she raised an eyebrow with a smirk and raised the bag. "They're in here; I shrunk them using my magical unicorn powers."

Tezuka closed his eyes irritably and walked out of the store. Karin smiled and ran out of the store, her dog following at her heels. She caught up to him on the sidewalk; he was walking calmly with his hands in his pockets. Karin walked by him and looked up at him with a closed eye smile.

"I was kidding you party pooper," she said. Tezuka, still not opening his eyes, furrowed his eyebrows a little more. "There' no way to reason with you; you always have to make up some weird—"

"For goodness sake Ka-zu-te, I was kidding!"

Tezuka opened his eyes and glanced at her. "Don't say my name backwards Mizushima. It's disrespectful."

"Whatever Ka-zu-te…" she trailed off. She heard Tezuka sigh heavily. "Is that your dog?"

Karin looked back at her dog and smiled. "Yup, his name is Ramesses,"

"Ramesses?" he asked. Karin rolled her eyes. "You know the Egyptian Pharaoh that was all high and mighty; the best Pharaoh that ever lived?"

"Yes," Tezuka responded casually. Karin pointed at her dog. "I named him after that Pharaoh; Ramesses the Second!"

Hearing his name, the dog barked happily. Tezuka nodded. "I see,"

"So…whatcha doing today?" Karin asked. Tezuka closed his eyes but somehow kept walking without bumping into anything. "It doesn't concern you."

"Ouch Ka-zu-te; that stung!" she said with a pout. Tezuka paid her no mind. Karin rolled her eyes and sighed. "No, I'm serious, what are you doing?"

Tezuka remained silent for a few minutes but then figured it wouldn't hurt to tell her; she was annoying but whatever. "I'm going to the park to get some peace and quiet…"

"Peace and quiet huh?" Karin shrugged. "I guess I'll go too, I have nothing better to do and I can play with Ramesses…"

Tezuka thought Karin was going to embarrass him again and again at the park but she didn't. He sat on a bench, calmly reading a book; and Karin was throwing a Frisbee so the shepherd could catch it. She put her tennis bag on the bench next to Tezuka. The park was quiet and calm like he wanted it and Karin didn't bother him once…that changed however…

"Te-zu-ka…" he heard Karin call to him. He raised his glance from the book to see her standing in front of him. He raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"Do you have a dollar?" she asked. "I wanna buy a something to drink in that machine over there…"

Tezuka stared or better yet glared at her for a few short seconds and then pulled out a dollar. "Here, you have to pay me back though…"

She snatched it out of his hand and smiled. "Of course!" she ran off before he could answer. He sighed and kept reading his book calmly. When she came back, she sat next to him and popped open a glass bottle that said SNAPPLE on it.

"What is that?" he asked, pointing. Karin shrugged. "I drink these in America all the time. It's called Snapple!" she smiled. "Besides tasting awesome; on the caps, they have really interesting facts!"

Tezuka was slightly interested in this 'Snapple'. The bottle caps actually have interesting facts…that's cool I guess, he thought. He watched Karin turn the cap over. She ran her eyes over the sentence and snickered. "Wow…the Sun _is_ hot!"

Tezuka wanted to punch himself in the throat when he heard this. He made a mental note not to suspect something is interesting when Karin says it's interesting.

She drank the iced tea in a fraction of a second and then tossed it in the trash. "Well, Te-zu-ka, I'm gonna get on home; you're too boring for me."

He blinked a few times but kept reading his book. Karin rolled her eyes and poked his forehead. "You're never gonna get a girlfriend like that, you hear me?"

Tezuka stared at his book but didn't read the words. Karin, satisfied with her phrase, ruffled his hair to the extent of messing it up completely and picked up her tennis bag. "Bye bye,"

As Karin left the park with Ramesses, Tezuka frowned, closed his book and fixed his gnarled hair with his hand. Girlfriend, he scowled mentally. Who the hell said I needed one?


	7. Inui Juice, Drama Queens

Karin woke up to a pillow whack from her grandfather saying to wake up and get to school. On Sunday, she didn't really do anything; all she did was sit around and play guitar hero on her Xbox and occasionally played Mario Kart and tennis on the Wii.

After she got ready, cursing at the skirt she had to wear and eating cereal and milk (which just so happens to be one of her favorite meals/snacks), she headed off to school.

"Mornin', retard," Karin flicked Tezuka's nose as she came into the classroom. He was slightly surprised but nevertheless, he ignored the comment.

After class, Tezuka and Karin walked to the tennis courts together. Karin, for the fun of it, pressed on a 'why?' conversation, making Tezuka silent (and pissed) for half the time they spent walking.

"Ah, Karin-chan, you got your jersey nya~!" Kikumaru cried happily. Karin nodded with a smile. "Yeah!" she spun around, "fits perfectly too!" Karin was wearing her specially made (better yet, a girl's version) Seigaku tennis team uniform shirt, white shorts, white and blue Nikes and her white hat.

"It looks really good on you Karin-chan!" Kikumaru beamed happily. Karin smiled. "Thanks!"

After warming up, Tezuka gave out orders.

"Juniors to Court C and freshman to Court D!" he bellowed, "and Regulars to Court A and B!" They all did as they were told quickly. Karin was surprised that Tezuka got this much respect.

"So what we gonna do today Ka-zu-te?" asked Karin at the Regular line-up. He glared at her and Ryuzaki, who was next to him chuckled. "I don't need to tell you all that the Tournament is starting, so I asked this man to make a special training menu for you guys,"

Inui walked into the courts with a box. He said it down and waved. "Yo,"

"Sadaharu-chan, you're training us?" Karin asked. He nodded. "Sensei asked me to; I can't refuse,"

"So what will we do?" Oishi inquired. Inui smirked and reached into the box. He gave them each ankle weights. "To survive until the National Tournament," he started. "We need to work on your footwork first."

Karin, sitting on the floor, put them on and shifted her ankles around. It isn't much of a difference, she thought to herself.

Inui held one up. "It's called the Power Ankle, adding 1 kg including your socks."

"It's not a lot of weight Inui-senpai," Echizen said, raising an eyebrow. Inui just smirked and pointed at red, blue and yellow cones placed on the opposite side of the courts. "Now, for those red, blue and yellow cones over there…" he trailed off to show them tennis balls that were outlined with red, blue and yellow. "You have to hit the ball to the cone with the corresponding color. Make an error and it's over."

"Ah nya~," Kikumaru stood on the empty court side. "I see now."

Echizen and Kikumaru were first. Inui and Ryuzaki hit the tennis balls and they both started to distinguished the colors and hit the cones accordingly. Karin smiled. "They're really good!"

Oishi nodded. "Yeah, but they will soon feel the 1 kg weights on their feet,"

"Touché…" Karin shrugged as Echizen and Kikumaru started to play harder once they felt the weight on them. Kikumaru started to hit the balls perfectly but then…

"Red!" Kikumaru said happily. Inui smirked. "Isn't that blue?"

"Huh, liar!" he cried, missing the ball. When the ball rolled on the floor, it was red. Kikumaru fumed. "Inui, you cheater!"

"Switch positions Kikumaru!" Inui said, walking over to the net. "Oh and I forgot to tell you; if you make an error…" he held up a cup of green liquid. "You have to drink Inui's special vegetable juice."

"This is new…" Oishi whispered. Everyone that was watching became a bit scared/surprised. Karin just watched calmly.

"What is that?" asked Kikumaru, taking the cup. Inui smirked. "Food, don't worry about it."

Kikumaru, shaking, drank it. All of the regulars watched as the red head drank every last drop. When he finished, he almost puked. "Ugh, it's horrible!" he ran out of the courts yelling 'water'.

Echizen was paying attention to the red head running out of the courts and missed the ball that was thrown at him. He drank the Inui Juice and, disgusted as well, ran out of the courts for water. Oishi and Kawamura were next. Both were doing well until Oishi tripped over his weights and missed. He drank it and also ran out of the courts sickened by the juice.

"Burning!" Kawamura yelled, hitting the balls with enormous power. Karin was surprised that such a timid person could become this but Fuji explained that when he grabs a racquet, his attitude changes.

Too much power but Kawamura didn't concentrate. He guessed the color right but hit the wrong cone and soon ran out of the courts wanting water. Momo started to hit but he had too much power as well and missed the cone by a quarter. He ran out of the courts after drinking Inui Juice. Kaidoh was next, doing his favorite Snake move, but he hit the wrong cone. He drank the green liquid and walked away calmly but soon felt the side effect and ran out of the court like everyone else.

Karin was next. She eyed the colors perfectly but as she did this she thought that she's probably going to hit all of them correctly, why not miss one so she can taste the oh-so-fearful veggie juice?

She missed one purposely. Kikumaru jumped. "Hey, you missed that on purpose!"

"No I didn't," Karin said plainly. Inui gave her the cup with green liquid. Karin eyed it for a few seconds before drinking it. The regulars watched their new teammate drink the whole thing. She stood there for a few seconds before turning around. "You guys are such drama queens!" she cried. "This isn't all _that_ bad; it tastes like V8!"

"You like it?" they all cried. Karin shrugged. "Sure,"

"You've gotta be kidding…" Kikumaru sighed and laid back down in the floor. Karin shrugged and handed the cup to the shocked Inui. Fuji was next in playing. He did the same thing Karin did and drank it but was unaffected as well.

"Told ya it wasn't bad," Karin high-fived him. "Good job surviving."

"It wasn't bad, I recommend it!" Fuji smiled. After Fuji, it was Tezuka but he hit the cones perfectly and didn't drink the green liquid.

Inui then started to say the faults in their play so far. He said Momo needs to chill with the power, Kikumaru needs to build more stamina and Oishi and Kawamura need to build more muscle in the arms. For Echizen, two glasses of milk each day.

"Karin-chan, you have the habit of losing your grip on your racquet between shots," he said. Karin nodded. Inui glanced at Tezuka. "And as for you; nothing seems to be out of place."

"Of course because he's God and he does everything so awesomely," Karin mocked jokingly. Tezuka glared at her. "Do 20 laps around the courts, Mizushima."


	8. Fudomine Junior High

Karin yawned as she woke up and glanced at her alarm clock. It was early still. She needed to be at the tennis park for the first matches with some school she doesn't know right at the moment. She figured it would be like tournaments in America, you would play against schools and win until you play with the last school which is the final match.

"I'm off!" Karin declared, putting on her tennis shoes at the doorway. Jun smiled. "Good luck,"

"Kick their asses!" Satoshi said from the kitchen. Karin laughed and nodded. "Will do, ojii-san!"

Meanwhile, Oishi boarded a bus in which Tezuka was in coincidently. "Finally, Tezuka,"

Tezuka didn't answer. They got off the bus, only to see the rest of the rest of the team sitting on the bench on the sidewalk. They were all talking and laughing, all in their tennis uniform already. The only one missing was Karin.

"Does anyone know where Mizushima is?" Tezuka boomed. Fuji smiled. "I called and she said she was on her way,"

He nodded. Suddenly, hands went over his glasses, blocking his view. He was surprised but stood ever-so-serious.

"Guess who!" Karin was tip-toeing behind him. He sighed. "Stop playing games Mizushima,"

"Party pooper…" she muttered removing her hands. She then smiled. "Let's go then!"

"Hey look, they're here," muttered a tennis player to his companion. His partner looked over to see the Seigaku tennis team walking towards the sign-up table. He whistled silently. "They look tough this year…" his eyes then widened. He nudged his friend on the shoulder with his elbow. "Dude, look at that girl."

His partner looked over and saw her. She was standing there with a slightly bored expression. The tennis player gulped. "What's a _girl_ doing on their team?" he asked.

"She could be dating one of the members—no—she's wearing the uniform…" his companion stammered. His partner sighed heavily. "And they have a freshman too! This year's gonna be tough…"

"Te-zu-ka," Karin called out while walking with the team behind him. "Where are we going now?" she knew the answer, but as always, she wanted to piss him off. He sighed irritably but didn't answer. She snickered and Fuji smiled. "You love to bother him, don't you?"

Karin nodded as they arrived at the tennis court they were designated to play the first round with a school called Gyokurin. Inui turned to the Seigaku team and showed them a piece of paper. "Alright, these are the players playing this round," he read the paper. "Doubles 2, Momoshiro-Kawamura pair. Doubles 1, Oishi-Kikumaru pair. Singles 3, Kaidoh. Singles 2, Echizen and lastly Singles 1, Fuji."

"What the fodoodles?" Karin cried. "I'm not playing?"

Inui raised his eyebrows. "Well, Ryuzaki-sensei and Tezuka picked the—"

"What the hell Ka-zu-te?" Karin said.

"Stop complaining Mizushima, I'm not playing either," he countered. "Besides, you could learn from these matches."

Karin repeated what he said under her breathe in a mocking way. He glared daggers at her, scaring the juniors and freshman that were with them to cheer on the team and miraculously some of the regulars.

When Gyokurin arrived, they all sat on the benches. Karin, still pouting, sat in between Tezuka and Fuji. The rest of the team sat next to Fuji and Inui was standing behind them, leaning on the plastic railing behind the benches.

As Momo and Kawamura shook hands with the opponents, Tomoya Izumi and Kimiyoshi Fukawa, Karin pouted once more. "This sucks wieners, I wanna play!"

"You're full of funny things Karin-chan," Fuji laughed. "Wieners?"

"Well yeah!" Karin sat up. "How else am I suppose to describe this?" she paused and shrugged. "I could say it sucks Tezuka but that'll be just too exaggerated…"

Tezuka grunted irritably as Inui laughed silently behind them and Fuji did the same.

The games went very smoothly. Momo and Kawamura won the match 6-2. They were a bit off at the beginning but they made up for it. The Golden pair won 6-0. Kaidoh won in a straight set as well.

"Mada mada dane!" Ryoma said smugly as he returned the ball. The opponent missed it.

"Game and match, Seigaku, 6 games to love!" the umpire said. Karin smiled. "He did well for his singles debut!"

"Better than we expected he would…" Inui muttered, scribbling something in his notebook. Fuji then won his match in the blink of an eye and in a straight set.

"You guys were tough," Tomoya said at the net with the rest of his team. He glanced at Karin sitting at the benches and then at Momo. "Is she part of your team?"

"Yup," Momo smiled. "If you're wondering, she'll be playing soon; I heard from Inui-senpai that if the buchou plays, she plays."

Later on that day, Tezuka and Fuji stood watching other schools play. They were getting close to the finals.

"We're living the dream huh Tezuka?" Fuji said smiling. Tezuka nodded. "Hn…" Tezuka was still a little pissed that Karin kept complaining about not playing. He hadn't played all day as well, so he doesn't really understand what her problem is. She ran off after Tezuka gave her a dollar to buy Snapple.

"Tezuka and Fuji," a voice called out. The two boys looked over to see Kuki from Kakinoki Junior High walking over. "Resting up for your next match?"

They didn't answer him but he chuckled. "By the way, I heard that you haven't played Tezuka…" he chuckled once more. "No, you probably couldn't…"

Tezuka was about to walk away when Karin blocked his way.

"Tezuka, here's the change," Karin handed him a few coins and glanced at Kuki while taking a sip of Snapple. "Who's the nerd?"

Fuji snickered and Kuki wore an annoyed expression. "And you must be the girl everyone's talking about…" he trailed off. "Mizushima Karin, right?"

"These people are such freaking stalkers," she rolled her eyes. "I have enough with Sadaharu-chan asking me random-ass questions…"

"Well well, foul-mouthed are we?" he mocked. Karin glared daggers. "Listen asshole, I don't have time for your—"

"Let's go Fuji," Tezuka turned Karin around roughly and pushed her away. Fuji walked behind him as he was told. Kuki laughed to himself silently and walked away in the opposite direction.

"You always have to get in a fight don't you Mizushima?" Tezuka said to her when they were out of earshot. Karin scoffed and drank the rest of the Snapple. "I hate people like that guy,"

"Touché, Karin-chan," Fuji inquired. "I don't blame you."

Tezuka merely sighed and walked past Karin. "Let's go, Ryuzaki-sensei is going to scold us,"

A while later, the team and Ryuzaki's close reporter friends sat by a fountain. Karin was on a role, drinking eight Snapples without stopping and she wasn't done, she had bought twelve. Inui was writing down information and some of the regulars, Fuji, Oishi, Momo and Kikumaru were watching with awe-struck faces. Tezuka made a personal note: Mizushima now owes me fourteen dollars altogether.

Echizen suddenly walked up to the team with his usual bored expression. He was with his freshman friends, Horio, Kachiro and Mizuno. Before he had a chance to speak, Momo jumped.

"Where've you been Echizen?" he said. Ryoma sighed and pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "Kakinoki Junior High lost just now…"

Karin spit out the Snapple in her mouth, making it look like a cloud of mist. "Are you cereal?"

Echizen smirked at her remark but nodded. "Yeah, it says it on the board," he informed. "Our next opponent is Fudomine Junior High. They said that they're strong this year."

"No way Seigaku's gonna lose to a bunch of clowns!" Horio cried arrogantly. Kachiro shook his shoulder. "Umm…Horio-kun…"

"I'm serious! We aren't gonna lose to—" He stopped talking when he caught glimpse of the Fudomine captain, Tachibana Kippei.

Fudomine's captain stood before the Seigaku team. Karin swallowed the Snapple in her mouth roughly at his slightly intimidating appearance.

"Are you Tezuka of Seigaku?" asked the captain. Tezuka nodded. "Yes,"

"Tezuka's the almighty God that everyone wants to meet…" Karin mumbled loud enough for them to hear. Some Seigaku members snickered but Tezuka looked over his shoulder at the girl sitting on the fountain drinking Snapple.

"Mizushima." Tezuka said this in a scolding way.

"Mm-hmm…" Karin sighed and drank some more Snapple. Tachibana chuckled. "You must be Mizushima Karin, the regular that has yet to play,"

"Yeah, I haven't played because _The Beast_ over here doesn't let me," Karin nodded over at Tezuka's direction, making his blood boil, but of course he didn't show it and merely brushed the comment aside like usual. Tachibana laughed. "We hope to see you play then Mizushima-san—I mean—you _are_ the only girl worthy of being on Seigaku's team…"

"I know that; take care Tachibana-san," she smiled and the Fudomine captain walked away.

"Mizushima, when we get back to Seigaku you're—" Tezuka began but she interrupted.

"Yeah, yeah, run 100 laps blah, blah, blah," she rolled her eyes, "can you gimme a dollar?"

Fifteen dollars…


	9. Tsubame Gaeshi

They all stood by the courts where they'll be playing against Fudomine. Ryuzaki held up the paper with the list of players.

"Alright, doubles 2: Kawamura-Fuji pair," she shifted her gaze. "Doubles 1: Oishi-Kikumaru pair."

"Nya, nya~!" Kikumaru cried happily. Ryuzaki chuckled. "Singles 3 is Kaidoh, don't lose," she paused. "Now, Ryoma, you've been playing all day so you can take a break. Karin, you're singles 2 and Tezuka, you're singles 1."

"Yes!" Karin cried. "Finally, I've been sitting on my ass all day long!"

The first match started with Fuji and Kawamura vs. Ishida and Sakurai. Fuji and Kawamura weren't doing too well though, especially when Sakurai making service aces.

Tachibana suddenly stood up from the bench and walked out of the courts. Inui frowned. "What confidence, he doesn't even need to watch…"

"You were insulted Tezuka," Ryuzakii said. Karin laughed. "You got dissed, Ka-zu-te!"

"I don't need to hear that from you Mizushima," Tezuka glared at her but she smiled innocently.

They were rallying for a long time. Everyone on the benches was tense even Fudomine. The rallying just went on and on; not stopping for anything.

"Fuji and Kawamura are getting pushed hard…" said Oishi. Kikumaru nodded and pouted. "I hate playing persistent people like that."

"Who does?" Karin inquired and noticed Tachibana came back. "Look, the captain's back."

Tachibana came in calmly and sat down on the benches. On the courts, the guys were playing with all the will they had. Both pairs wanted to win, even Fuji.

Fudomine is in high spirits, he thought as the ball approached him. This point will determine the fate of the match with them.

Fuji made a brief stance; then sliced the ball adding more spin to the topspin. The ball flew to the other side of the court but when it hit the ground, it didn't bounce, it glided on the court.

"What. The hell. Was that?" Karin stammered. Inui pushed his glasses up. "It's one of Fuji's Triple Counters called Tsubame Gaeshi or the Swallow Return," he glanced at Fuji on the court. "It takes the opponent's topspin and adds a slice in the same direction, making it dip the way it did just now and making it 'glide'."

"That's freaking amazing," Karin muttered.

After Fuji revealed the Tsubame Gaeshi, the Seigaku pair started to take the lead over Fudomine. Kawamura was in high spirits and Fuji was well…having fun playing.

They went up to match point. If Seigaku got this point, they would have advantage when serving. Fudomine apparently knew this and Ishida eyed his captain. He raised his arm up and then made it into a 90 degree angle. None of the Seigaku members noticed this but Fudomine did.

"He's going to use it…" mumbled Ibu Shinji. Tachibana nodded and watched Ishida play, awaiting his signal.

"Tachibana-san, he's waiting for your permission," Kamio said softly. Tachibana remembered how he told Ishida that if he kept using that specific move, he wouldn't be able to play tennis. The thinking captain somehow lost track of time.

"Tachibana-san…" Shinji mumbled again. Tachibana sighed and raised his finger. "Only once, don't fail this one." He mouthed the words.

Ishida smirked and raised his arm. The ball bounced in front of him.

"Go Ishida!" his team members cried. "Hadokyuu!"

"Hadokyuu?" the Seigaku regulars on the benches questioned. Ishida, with his arm raised, brought out all the muscle in his right arm. His racquet connected with the ball and it seemed as though light and electricity was transferred to the highlighter bright ball.

Fuji stood on the court. He wasn't about to let Fudomine take this point, not a chance. He got ready to return the Hadokyuu.

"He's not gonna…!" Karin muttered wide-eyed. Oishi stood up. "Don't do it Fuji! Your wrist can't handle it!"

Suddenly, Kawamura cut in front of Fuji, taking the shot for him. Summoning all the strength he had in his body, he actually returned the Hadokyuu screaming 'burning'.

"He returned it!" some Fudomine players cried.

Ishida grit his teeth and took the stance again for another Hadokyuu. Tachibana growled. If he did another Hadokyuu, he would rip his arm off!

"Ishida, no!" Tachibana cried.

Ishida knows he felt the ball connect with his racquet, but he missed it somehow. The ball bounced softly on the court as Seigaku's freshman and juniors started to cheer for the point. Ishida, confused, looked down and realized his racquet strings were torn up.

Karin sat at the benches, hugging her legs to her chest and wide-eyed. "I…have no idea what just happened…"

"We call those 'Seigaku miracles'," Inui smiled. Karin raised her eyebrows. "I bet; the return was so strong the racquet broke!"

"That's not the only thing that broke…" Tezuka said. Karin looked over and Tezuka and then at the court. Fuji held Kawamura's wrist. Poor Taka-san was whimpering when he did so.

"Referee, we will forfeit this match," Fuji said. Kawamura protested but Fuji merely smiled and took away his racquet, thus calming Taka-san down.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Kawamura hissed as Inui sprayed some medicine on his wrist. Inui sighed. "Oh take it like a man…" he wrapped his wrist with a bandage. "You should go to the hospital for precaution; you don't want a broken wrist now do you?"

After Taka-san left for the hospital, the next Doubles match started; the Golden Pair vs. Uchimura-Mori pair.

Karin sighed and looked up at the sky. Grey clouds were setting in and the air was getting chilly.

"It's gonna rain soon…" she muttered. Tezuka nodded taking a seat next to her. Fuji sat on the other side of Karin. She pouted and he smiled. "Don't worry, I don't feel sad about forfeiting Karin-chan,"

"That's what you say." Karin poked his nose and he poked hers. Then they laughed. Tezuka sighed irritably. They're such children, he thought.

The Golden Pair was doing great; they were in perfect sync. The Fudomine players kept on getting surprised when Kikumaru did his acrobatic play continuously.

Karin sighed heavily and stood up. She stretched her arms in the air and then turned to Tezuka. He glanced up at her and furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

"A dollar for Snapple please?" she made puppy dog eyes to win his pity but he was way over her trick. "Am I your personal bank, Mizushima?"

"Probably, yes," she sighed. "Please?"

"No," he closed his eyes and avoided her gaze. She rolled her eyes and pouted. Fuji smiled, pulled out his wallet and fished out a dollar. "Here you go Karin-chan,"

Karin's eyes twinkled and took the dollar. "Thank you! I'll pay you back whenever I can."

"Don't worry about it," he said swaying his hand from side to side and then pointed at Tezuka with his thumb. "Worry about paying _him_ back."

Karin smiled and ruffled his hair. "Thanks Shusuke." Karin ran off, taking her racquet just in case. Fuji waved at her as she ran off and then glanced at Tezuka. "How can you resist such a cute girl like her, Tezuka?"

"Hnn…" he mumbled.

It took Karin a long 15-minute time lapse to find the soda machines. When she got there however, there was a crowd of people gawking over at something. Karin swung her racquet over her shoulder and started to walk closer. When she did so, she realized it was two players from Fudomine, Kamio and Ibu, doing a rally to warm up. They were amazingly returning two balls at the same time in such a short distance. Karin raised an eyebrow at this and sighed irritably. How was she going to get her Snapple now?


	10. S for Shinji and Snapple

"Hey Tezuka," Inui called out.

Tezuka looked over his shoulder. Inui was leaning against the railing behind the benches.

"Why don't you stretch your legs and go look for Karin-chan?" he asked. "She's been gone for a good fifteen minutes."

"Why me?" he said sternly. Inui chuckled. "Ryuzaki-sensei said Karin-chan was your responsibility the first day, remember?" he smirked. "You're technically in charge of her."

Tezuka sighed and stood up. "I suppose you're right…" Tezuka walked out of the courts.

He walked around for a few short seconds before he spotted Karin standing where a crowd of people were. She was watching the Fudomine players, Ibu and Kamio, doing a warm-up exercise. He frowned and walked over. Before he could call out to her however, he saw her sigh heavily and with a bored expression, started to walk forward.

Tezuka watched her walk through the two tennis players by hitting the balls back to them simultaneously. She miraculously went through and as if nothing had happened went up to the machine and started to put in the dollar Fuji had given her.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Kamio said to her. She calmly popped open the Snapple and read the cap aloud. "Penguins can jump six feet."

"Are you even listening to me?" Kamio said again. She glanced at him again and smiled. Shinji blinked and pointed his finger at her. "You're Seigaku's only girl player…"

"Yup," she drank some Snapple. "I've gotten pretty famous huh?"

"Mizushima," Tezuka called out, startling them and even the crowd. Karin smiled. "Te-heh-heh-Tezuka!" she sang. "What up?"

"I was sent to look for you," he said sternly and glaring at her slightly. He turned and started to walk away. "Let's go."

"Of course~!" she sang and followed his heels. Karin waved to the Fudomine players and then turned her back to them.

"What were you thinking Mizushima?" Tezuka asked when they were out of earshot. Karin drank some more Snapple. "What do you mean?" she glanced up at him as they walked. "They were in the way so I went through; I wasn't provoking them or anything." She really wasn't. She just wanted her Snapple.

"Whatever you say Mizushima," he mumbled under his breath. As they walked, it started to rain. They both paid no mind to the rain. Tezuka was actually surprised that Karin hadn't run away yelling that she didn't want to get wet. He figured she was mature for _most_ things.

When they got there, the referee raised his hand in the air. "Game and match, Seigaku!"

"Wow, just in time," Karin drank the rest of the Snapple. When everyone sat down on the benches, Ryuzaki and Tachibana went up to the Tennis Officials to see what they were going to decide because of the rain.

Ryuzaki jogged back to the benches. Karin pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Is it going to be postponed?" she asked. Ryuzaki smiled. "Well, they're going to see what happens, if it stops, we'll continue and if it doesn't then it'll be postponed."

"Ugh!" Karin sulked. "Ball sacks!"

"What?" Fuji said chuckling. Karin shrugged. "Yeah, ball sacks. I say that as an expression."

"You're hilarious Karin-chan," he laughed hysterically. Karin flailed her arms. "Why do you find everything I say funny?"

"Karin, shut your trap please," Ryuzaki said, taking a seat and the end of the bench. Karin flashed a thumbs-up. "Will do!"

"Man…now it's boring because of the rain…" Fuji sighed sadly. Karin smiled. "You wanna see what random things I have in my bag?"

"Your bag?" asked Momo. Karin nodded. "Yeah; in America, I'm known for having random things in my tennis bag; for example…" she trailed off to zip open her bag and started to look through it. She started to toss items behind her shoulder so Fuji could catch them. "I have a golf ball, an empty box of I don't know what this is, a glove, a toothbrush, and a USB shaped like a turtle, my phone…"

"This is cool Karin-chan," he held out her phone. Karin grinned. "Yeah, it's my Iphone," she pressed the only button on the phone and the screen lit up. There were numerous apps on the screen and in the background was a purple and blue design.

"I got it for my birthday; I usually use it to play with the apps, I'm not a very talkative person."

Ryuzaki scoffed mockingly. "Sure Karin, you're not talkative…"

Karin rolled her eyes and tossed the items she had taken out back into the bag. As soon as she zipped her bag closed, she leaned back on the bench and glanced over at Tezuka. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Cleaning my glasses; can't you tell?" Tezuka, with a piece of cloth, was wiping off the rain drops on the lenses. Karin smirked and took his glasses. "Here, I'll help you!"

On the other benches, Kamio turned off his MP3 player. "Tachibana-san, it seems that Mizhishima-san and Tezuka-san get along," he said thoughtfully. "Your predictions were wrong; when Tezuka-san called her to go earlier she gladly went."

Tachibana chuckled. "That's what you think Kamio…"

"Hmm?" Kamio questioned. Tachibana pointed at the Seigaku team. "Look."

"Here, I'll help you!" Karin spit at Tezuka glasses, wiped them poorly on her jersey and then handed them back to him. Fuji laughed and Inui and Ryuzaki snickered slightly. Tezuka, with a deadly glare, took the glasses and eyed the lenses, which still had highly visible traces of Karin's saliva.

He glared at the girl and she winced in fear. She stood from the bench and hid behind Fuji. "Calm the beast within!" she cried.

"Yeah Kamio…they get along _very well_," Tachibana said this sarcastically but not in a bad way. Kamio merely laughed to himself.

"You're one of a kind Karin-chan…" Inui said. "Everyone in Fudomine is getting ready for their matches and you're here spitting on Tezuka's glasses."

"I don't get nervous easily Sadaharu," she shrugged and sat on the other side of Fuji and away from the pissed Tezuka cleaning his glasses.

A few minutes later, the rain finally stopped and then matches were to continue. Karin was jumping around happily at this. Soon after though, Kaidoh's match with Kamio started, Kamio provoked Kaidoh at the net, calling him viper and mocking thus making Kaidoh angry and swing at him.

"This is going to be tough…" Oishi muttered. Karin nodded. "Right back at ya,"

Kaidoh had a rough start. He did his famous Snake Shot, but Kamio with his amazing speed kept catching up and returning the shots. Kaidoh was getting agitated.

Being the stubborn guy he is, Kaidoh kept on using the Snake Shot. He fell to the ground in the process, getting his shirt and shorts dirty, but apparently he cared less.

"_Kaidoh-senpai is getting pissed huh Karin-senpai?_" Ryoma said in English to Karin. She looked over and smiled. "_Yeah, he looks like he's gonna blow up._" She followed his path and spoke English as well.

Suddenly Kamio returned the ball to the edge. Kaidoh went to get the ball but he slipped. As he slipped, his mentality cracked a bit and he, by mistake, did the most amazing shot he's ever done. The ball made a curve around the pole and came back and he got the point. Kaidoh fell to the ground after this.

"Holy freakin' flying fodoodles; did you see that?" Karin was awe-struck at the shot. Everyone was in shock. The freshman gasped. "A boomerang plus a snake…Boomerang Snake?" said Horio.

"Hmm…Boomerang Snake, that's a pretty good name," Inui smirked. Karin smiled. "Alright! Boomerang Snake sounds epic!"

Because of the pure luck he had earlier, Kaidoh tried using the Boomerang Snake over and over, but kept on missing and losing points.

"Stop being an idiot Kaidoh," Ryuzaki said to him when he sat down for a break. "You're swinging your racquet around foolishly; the match sucks now." She was dead serious about this. Even Karin didn't make a joke about it.

"This is not your style of tennis Kaidoh," was the last thing she told him.

Kaidoh started to catch up on the games. Kamio started to become immensely tired while Kaidoh was perfectly fine. At some point, Kaidoh did the Snake Shot and Kamio hit it to the net.

Everyone was surprised that Kaidoh was so persistent. Inui explained that he gave him a training program to build an enormous amount of stamina but he started to do twice that.

"Game and match, Seigaku, seven games to five!" cried the referee. Everyone cheered. Karin smiled and cheered on too.

Tachibana patted Kamio on the back and told him he did a good job. Then he looked at Shinji, who was fixing his racquet strings.

"Get ready Shinji, you're going against Mizushima," Tachibana said. Shinji nodded silently and stood up from the bench.

Karin on the other hand, jumped out of the bench. "Alright! Let's do this!" she cried. "Let's kick some ass!" Karin started to run to the court but…

"Mizushima!" Tezuka called out. She turned to him and sighed irritably. "Whaaaat?"

Tezuka, with a bored expression, pointed at her bag. "Your racquet…"

Some of the regulars laughed at her foolishness and she blushed with a big grin. "Whoops!"

"She's a goofball, I can beat her…she probably isn't that good…" Shinji mumbled to himself as Karin neared the baseline on her side of the court. "Why is she even on the team…? Is she _that_ good…?"

"One set match, Seigaku's Mizushima to serve." The referee declared.


	11. The Estonian Twist Serve

Karin stood on the court and looked down at the tennis ball in her hand. She smiled. I'll try it at least once,she thought and looked at the Fudomine player awaiting her serve. He won't get mad right?

"What's she doing?" Oishi asked. Ryuzaki Sumire smiled and remained silent. Show them what you've got Empress.

Karin gripped her racquet with her right hand. Her right isn't as good at her left; but she didn't want to give out her secret yet. Karin tossed the ball lightly in the air but spun it the way a topspin would. Karin sliced the racquet in the same direction only the ball hit the net. It rolled calmly before coming to a halt.

"Net! Fault!" the referee cried. Ibu frowned. "What the hell is she doing?" he mumbled. "Is she experimenting?"

"Yeah, I'm experimenting Ibu-san," Karin answered him as she smirked. "Don't worry, if I don't get it right this time I won't waste my time."

Karin bounced the ball a few times on the court before tossing it again with the spin and then slicing it. This time it went over the net and Ibu went to return the serve but when it hit the ground, it didn't bounce upwards…it glided on the court's floor like Tsubame Gaeshi.

"It's Tsubame Gaeshi!" Kamio cried. The Seigaku regulars, especially Fuji, were surprised. "She took my counter…and made it a serve…" Fuji muttered.

Karin smiled and Ibu and pointed her racquet at him. "I call that…the Estonian Twist Serve!" she grinned from ear to ear. "Thank you for being my guinea pig!"

"Estonian Twist Serve?" Echizen questioned. The Seigaku regulars sat there confused at the name until Fuji laughed and nodded. "Ah; I get it!" he exclaimed and glanced at the confused boys on the benches. "The National bird of Estonia is the Barn Swallow. Tsubame Gaeshi means Swallow Return."

"That's so cool!" Momo grinned widely.

Karin smiled at her new serve. She bounced another ball on the court. Oishi smiled confidently at this. "Here it comes, the American Twist Serve,"

Karin tossed the ball in the air and swiftly hit it. Ibu went to return it, but the ball shot up to his face.

"30-love," the referee said. The crowds watching the match were awe-struck.

"Wow, Seigaku has those kind of girls just hanging around?" one boy his partner. His friend gulped. "Yeah, I can't believe a girl can play _this_ good!"

"40-love," the referee declared as Karin hit the amazing serve again. Karin tossed the ball in the air once more and served the same serve again. This time Ibu was ready for the kill. He approached the ball and curving his back away from the serve, he managed to connect the ball and the racquet; but Karin, for precaution, added just a bit more power and Ibu's racquet went flying into the air.

"Game, Seigaku's Mizushima. One game to love!"

Karin stood at the baseline; a determined spark gleamed in her eyes. Ryuzaki saw this and sighed with a smile. "Seeing those eyes take me back…"

"Huh?" the regular members on the benches questioned. Ryuzaki remained silent and remembered the old times.

"**At least my backhand is better than yours!" Karin's father cried, his eyes gleaming with that same spark. Nanjiro growled. "I can play Nitoryuu you ass-wipe!" he smirked. "Face it; the old hag likes me better!"**

"**No she doesn't; she trained me five minutes more than she trained you!" he countered again. A young Ryuzaki Sumire grabbed her two top students' heads and slammed them together comically. "Can you two shut up?" she bellowed.**

"**That hurt you old hag!" Nanjiro rubbed his forehead while sitting on the floor. Karin's father did so as well. "Yeah, that hurt granny!"**

"**Why do you guys fight so much?" she sighed irritably. "I love you both equally."**

"**It's not about love!" Nanjiro stood and pointed at his rival. "It's about me being better that this idiot!"**

"**What was that dick sauce?" the enraged boy stood up and glared at Nanjiro, who did the same. Ryuzaki got fed up and slammed their heads together again. "You two are equally good at tennis,"**

"**By the way, why aren't you going to the tournament in Hana-Kana Park?" Nanjiro said, ignoring Ryuzaki's statement. He smirked. "You're afraid I might kick your ass?"**

"**Hell no!" Karin's father smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm just going on a date, unlike you that had a black eye when you asked Kimiko-chan out!"**

"**It was the old hag's fault for giving me a black eye!" Nanjiro cried. "And who are you going out on a stupid date with huh?"**

"**Mi-chi-ko," he sounded out her name in syllables, just like his soon-to-be daughter. Nanjiro gasped. "Are you serious; the hottie from 3****rd**** period?"**

"**That's her!" Karin's father grinned. Nanjiro laughed as well. Ryuzaki sighed and smiled lightly. They might fight like there's no tomorrow, she thought as she watched them laugh together. But they have the same mentality.**

Ryuzaki returned to the present time and chuckled to herself. "You're doing well, Karin," she said. Karin was adjusting her snow white hat on her head but she was listening. Ryuzaki smiled either way.

Ibu started to mumble to himself, muttering about how Karin was such a goofball and how he would beat her. Karin on the other hand was oblivious to this and just stood at the baseline, waiting for his serve.

Ibu tossed the ball over his head and made the same gesture that Karin and Echizen do. He hit the ball swiftly. The ball made it into the service box but spun and shot upwards to Karin's face exactly like Echizen's. She evaded it though. There was no expression on her face.

"Twist Serve?" Horio stammered. Inui shook his head. "No, that's the Kick Serve. 'Twist Serve' is just an old way of saying it but if you ask me; the 'twist' has more curve and power…"

Karin sighed and blinked. So the Kick Serve is his favorite huh? She thought as she walked back to the baseline. What an arrogant brat, she switched to her left hand and the Fudomine team gasped. "Southpaw?"

"Southpaw huh?" Ibu Shinji mumbled. Now he was screwed. He's a right handed player doing a right handed Kick Serve to a _left-handed_ person; he was in a horrible situation now…

Ibu shot the Kick Serve again. Karin returned it like nothing and then they started to rally. Ryuzaki smiled. "She's just like her father, a goofball and a troublemaker…"

"You trained Karin-chan's dad, right Ryuzaki-sensei?"Oishi said. Ryuzaki nodded. "Yup, and let me tell you, the person you see playing out there is not her father," she pointed her thumb. "Her father believes in the unique way a style of tennis can be. The player you see out there is Karin to the fullest."

"Who's Karin's father?" Inui asked smirking wickedly. Ryuzaki shook her head with a serious face. "I'm sorry; I bet all of you are dying to know but Karin won't be too happy if I told you…"

"Why?" Oishi bellowed frantically. "Is her father a bad person now?"

"Nothing of the sort!" Ryuzaki exclaimed and then grinned. "Karin told me that she'll tell you guys herself but for now; just let her have fun."

Karin returned the ball back but didn't realize the other side of the court was wide open. Ibu saw this and aimed it to the blind spot. Karin's eyes widened and ran towards the ball but she couldn't reach it with her backhand. She quickly switched the racquet to her right hand and made a forehand and got the point.

"15 all,"

"But it doesn't explain why she can use Nitoryuu," Tezuka inquired. Ryuzaki nodded. "Like she knows me, Karin knows Nanjiro. I believe that when she was four years old, Karin saw Nanjiro play with her father and he used Nitoryuu and Karin, having that ability to copy moves she is interested in; copied it,"

"She just _copied it_?" Echizen asked. "And where was I when this happened; Karin-senpai is only two years older than me…"

"Yes, she copied it because her excuse was that it made things easier…" Ryuzaki then smirked. "And yes, you were there; you just have a bad memory."

"So Karin-chan's dad and Echizen Nanjiro are friends…?" Inui asked. Ryuzaki nodded. "I'm telling you that much only."

Karin and Ibu kept on rallying. The games were long and Karin kept surprising the crowds that were watching.

"This girl's…" Shinji panted as he returned the ball, "better than I expected…"

Karin, having the time of her life, returned the ball again. Karin played tennis with the determination to win obviously, but she loved to have fun with it as well although, she got tired of the rallying and decided to get the point already. She started to approach the net. Ibu saw this however and made a lob to the baseline.

Crap, Karin cussed and ran for the ball. If Karin were an old cartoon character, a light bulb would've popped on top of her head for she had an idea that would get the crowd's attention even more. She got ahead of the ball and once it bounced, she hit it between her legs. The ball hit the tip of the net and crossed to Ibu's side. Too stunned to move, Ibu Shinji stood and stared.

"Game, Seigaku, three games to two, Mizushima leads," the referee declared. Tachibana sat at the benches thoughtfully. Shinji needs to get serious or it'll be too late, he thought but then his eyes widened in shock. Don't tell me…Shinji's actually having a hard time…! Tachibana watched Shinji serve and then watched them rally. Who is this girl…pushing Shinji this hard?

Suddenly, Shinji started to do topspins and slices. He did them continuously, something Fudomine's captain didn't fail to see. Tachibana's eyes widened. Don't tell me Shinji's going to use…!

"There's something off about his playing style now…" Fuji remarked. Oishi and Kikumaru nodded. "Yeah, he keeps doing topspins and slices…" Oishi said. Kikumaru blinked more than twice. "Nya~! I wonder what he's up too!"

Karin, oblivious to Ibu's plan, she kept on hitting the slices and topspins. As she was hitting though, Ibu noticed the contraction in her arm. The corner of his lip tugged into a hardly noticeable smirk. He made an easy return.

Karin went to hit it back but her arm momentarily refused to follow her orders and she missed the ball.

"15-love," the referee said. Oishi blinked. "What happened?" he asked. "That was a returnable shot."

"It's like she froze," Kaidoh hissed like a snake.

On the court, Karin opened and closed her hand and then moved her arm around. What the hell happened to me…? She thought. My arm just froze on me!

"What did he do?" Kamio asked.

"He just sealed Mizushima's movements," Tachibana replied. Kamio and the rest of the team glanced over in disbelief. Tachibana kept his eyes on the court. "By hitting topspins and slices to the backhand and forehand numerous times, the muscles will contract, leaving the player in a numb state called 'Spot'."

"Spot?" Kamio questioned. Tachibana nodded. "The numb state only lasts for a second, but Shinji can see it," Tachibana paused when the referee said 30-love. He then continued. "It's a move Shinji still hasn't perfected…so to push him enough to use it…" he trailed off.

Karin either way kept hitting all his shots. She was a bit nervous. She figured all those topspins and slices were causing it, but she didn't have time to think.

Again, her arm froze midway and she missed the highly returnable shot.

"40-love," the referee called out.

They started to rally again. Ibu kept on hitting his slices and topspins and Karin kept returning. The purple haired teen smirked again and returned. Karin swung but it froze midway again.

My arm…again…!She screamed in her head. She frowned and spun on her feet. I'll get it now…!

"She's spinning her body," Shinji muttered. On the benches Oishi gasped. "She's spinning her body in order to attack the ball!"

Tezuka watched silently. Mizushima, he thought to himself. His eyes widened when he saw Karin, while spinning, let go of her racquet. Shinji smirked. "It's no use…" he muttered. "When you're in Spot, you lose your grip."

Karin spun with such force that the racquet went flying and smashed against the pole. The metallic racquet split in two but the now knife-sharp grip shot right back to her face…

"Karin!" Ryuzaki cried.


	12. The Bleeding Empress

The court was splattered with blood. Wincing, Karin cupped her eye with her palm. The blood went through her fingers and down her hand. The broken racquet lay calmly on the ground next to her blood splattered hat. She was crouching on the court's concrete floors, trying to ease the pain but no prevail.

"Ow…" she muttered looking at her now red hand. The crowd started to mumble amongst themselves. Both teams were in complete shock.

"Karin," Ryuzaki stood above her. She looked up at her. Ryuzaki helped her up and led her to the bench where she sat down. Oishi took the first aid kit and started to wipe the blood out of Karin's cheek, eyelid and her hair that rested on her forehead.

Fudomine sat tense at the benches. Kamio gulped. "Tachibana-san, will she be ok; she doesn't look too good…"

"It's hard to tell…" he responded. "Shinji won't be too happy with the result though…" Tachibana trailed off to glance at Shinji, who was patiently leaning against the fence.

Oishi had wiped away most of the blood but it just kept on running down. He shook his head. "It's no good, the bleeding doesn't stop," Oishi tossed a fifth swab on the box and grabbed another. "Thankfully, there's nothing wrong with the eyeball but the eyelid muscles are completely done for."

"Damn, that looks painful," Momo said. He had just come back from the hospital with Taka-san. At seeing the injury, the timid Taka-san almost fainted.

"Oishi, how is she?" Tezuka walked over. Oishi pressed a pad swab on her eye. Karin winced at this.

"It's no good, she won't be able to continue in her condition," he glanced at the stoic captain. "It would be a shame after coming this far…"

"This sucks…" Karin muttered, her voice wavering from the pain in her eye. Apart from the injury, blood had crept into her eye beforehand. Fuji walked to the court and took her shattered racquet. "Karin-chan," he stood up. "I'm going to put the broken racquet in your bag ok?" As he walked over, Karin sighed. "Take out the spare while you're at it Shusuke."

Everyone was shocked at her order but nevertheless, Fuji closed his eyes again and nodded. "Of course, Karin-chan,"

"Are you crazy Karin-chan?" Oishi cried, being the mother hen of Seigaku. "You have a severe injury; it's too much of a handicap!"

"Mizushima-san, you don't plan on continuing, do you?" the referee walked over. "I can't let you play if you're bleeding. I know it's a shame to forfeit now but the rules are the rules."

"I don't care about some retarded rules," Karin said standing up, trying to say in the least disrespectful way.

"Mizushima!" Tezuka scolded but Karin glared at him. "Shut up Tezuka, I feel horrible now because I have to forfeit and bring you guys down," she winced at the pain. Ryuzaki sat on the benches and closed her eyes. She remembers how her father used to talk back to the referee like she did now. Her father was never the man to let rules bring him down.

"Karin," Ryuzaki called. "Get over here."

Karin walked over, the blood running down her cheek like a waterfall. Ryuzaki glanced past her at the referee. He nodded meaning he understood Karin's pain at the moment and didn't take her comment as an insult.

"This might hurt Karin," Ryuzaki took out a medical pad from the first aid kit. "Suck it up."

A few minutes passed. Karin patted her right eye. Ryuzaki had placed a pad there with some tape. Karin blinked. "It stopped…"

"Only temporarily," she said, closing the first aid box. "It will hold fifteen minutes max."

Karin smiled halfheartedly and walked over to the referee. "You said that if the bleeding stopped I could play right?"

"Well…that's what it sounded like but…you…" he stammered, seeing as how he can't take back his words. Fuji walked over to Karin. "Karin-chan, your racquet," he smiled and opened his sharp eyes. Karin turned around and smiled. She held out her hand. "Thanks Shusuke,"

As she went to reach it, Oishi stood in between them and didn't let her take it. They stood in silence until Tezuka took the racquet from Fuji's hand.

"10 minutes," he said sternly. "If it's not decided in 10 minutes, you forfeit; do I make myself clear Mizushima?"

"Crystal, Te-zu-ka," she sounded out his name and took her racquet from his hand. She turned to Inui, who was now sitting on the benches near her bag. "Sadaharu, do me a favor and get me my hat."

Inui smirked and nodded. "Bingo."

The Fudomine team raised an eyebrow at her statement. "What does she mean?" Kamio questioned.

"Look! The match is continuing!" the crowd started to say. Karin, adjusting her hat, walked into the court. Kikumaru jumped from the bench. "Go Empress!"

"Empress?" Ibu Shinji looked up at his opponent that was standing at the baseline. He squinted when he saw her bright red hat. "And why is she wearing a red hat now?"

Karin bounced the ball on the court calmly. She heard a small beep sound which was Inui that started to 10-minute timer. She smirked and tossed the ball over her head and swiftly hit it. Ibu went to return the serve, but when it bounced, it went close to his face, over his shoulder and did not bounce when it landed behind him.

"Japanese Twist Serve!" the freshman cried. The crowd started to chatter and mutter. The Seigaku team cheered and the Fudomine team was awe-struck. The score was three games to four, with Ibu leading because of the previous game. Karin smirked. I'm not gonna be losing just yet!

Karin kept doing the impossible Japanese Twist Serve. She won her service game without Ibu getting a single point.

"Game, Seigaku, four games all!"

Shinji served his Kick Serve but Karin returned it and started to rally. Seeing as it was his only hope to win, he kept using his slices and topspins to make the Spot possible. Karin smirked. While she was being treated by Oishi and Ryuzaki, she had come up with a strategy.

She returned the ball and then switched to her right hand. Ibu shot the ball back with a topspin. Karin returned it and then switched to her left once more.

"Ah, I see her strategy…"Tezuka said. Ryuzaki smirked. "Well you're smart."

"Yeah, by switching her racquet between shots, the spot is sealed because there's no permanent effect since she keeps switching," Momo said.

Karin's pupils enlarged and then shrunk. Her sniper scope vision pinpointed the location and Karin shot the ball right on his left foot. Shinji toppled backwards.

"Love-15!"

"There it is!" the freshman cried. "The Empress's Royal Play!"

"The Empress?" Tachibana muttered but smirked. "So that's what they call her…"

After he served, Karin returned the ball at his feet once more, but she pinpointed the area between the floor and the tip of his shoe and because of the position, the ball shot forward slightly.

"Love-30!"

Ibu growled and served the Kick Serve. Karin switched to her left and returned. Ibu hit a topspin. Karin, using the One-footed Split Step she had copied from Ryoma during the other matches, switched to her right and hit the topspin. Her lame excuse for copying the move is because she figured; one day she might not want to move around that much so she can use this technique. She returned the ball to the side of his foot.

"Love-40!"

"Less than two minutes left…" Inui said. Kikumaru let out a frustrated cry. "C'mon Karin-chan nya~!" he cried but then gasped. Oishi glanced at him. "What's wrong?"

"Look," he pointed. The regular members looked over to see Karin's blood leaking through the pad taped on her right eye. They all gasped. Tezuka's eyebrows creased sadly. Mizushima…

Karin panted and pinpointed the spot and returned the ball. It hit right at the line of the baseline. The referee nodded for it was in. "Game, Seigaku, five games to four!"

Now it was Karin's turn to serve. She served the Japanese Twist Serve. Shinji was motionless and had the point stolen from him.

"15-love!"

"Damn, she's gonna win with that serve of hers…" Shinji muttered. Karin smirked at the expression on his face and served the Japanese Twist Serve again.

"30-love!"

And again, the Japanese Twist Serve.

"40-love!"

Karin bounced the ball a few times before tossing it. This is what you get for messing with the Empress, she thought to herself, but much to her dismay, as she swung her racquet, the blood leaking from her wound snuck into her covered eye and caused her to wince. She served either way but no spin.

"My chance!" Ibu returned the ball with a slice. Karin ignored the pain in her eye and ran to the far left end of the net, hit a left-handed forehand and made the ball bounce on the right side of Ibu's court, near the net.

"Game and match, Seigaku's Mizushima!" the referee raised his arm. "Six games to four!"

The crowd cheered and so did the regulars. Inui looked down at his timer that he stopped at the instant showing that there was only two seconds left for the ten minutes. He smiled. Good job Karin-chan.

Panting, Karin glanced over. "Did I make it?"

Everyone flashed her a thumbs-up. She smiled and jumped happily around the court. "Yes!"

They all stood at the net. The announcer on the speakers said that Seishun Gakuen was the winner of the tournament and that Fudomine was runner-up. The crowds watching all clapped and cheered.

As they walked out of the courts, Karin was stopped by Tachibana and Shinji.

"Sorry about your eye, Mizushima-san, I didn't mean it," Shinji said. Karin nodded and smiled. "It's alright Ibu-kun, don't worry about it."

"Hmm…it technically wasn't my fault…" he muttered to himself. "She was the one that—"

"Shinji!" Tachibana scolded. He looked down at his feet and whispered a 'sorry'.

Tezuka and Tachibana shook hands before they left. After Karin changed to her American outfit, they headed off to the hospital to get her eye properly treated.

"Wow, you got this injury playing tennis?" the doctor cried, amazed. Karin sighed irritably, for this was the fifth time he's asked that. "_Yes, I got this playing tennis…_" she said this in English as the nurse adjusted the eye patch's strings behind her ear.

"Man, that must've been some weird tennis; you're just like that kid that came in earlier with the bruised wrist!" he exclaimed.

Karin walked out of the hospital room and looked over at Ryuzaki and her granddaughter sitting in the waiting area. Ryuzaki caught glimpse of Karin and stood up. "C'mon, let's go, we've got one more stop!"

"A sushi shop?" Karin questioned. She read the sign that said Kawamura Sushi Shop. Her eyes widened. "Wait…"

"Yup, Taka-san's dad owns this place!" Ryuzaki explained happily. "Since we won the Districts, he closed up and made this the after-party!"

Karin's mouth gapped. "So I can eat sushi as much as I want?" Karin smiled when Ryuzaki nodded. Karin slid the door open. The guys were in there partying but then they all looked over. Karin tossed her bag to the side and ran to the counter. Tezuka was sitting there along with Inui and the reporters, Inoue and Shiba.

"Everything on the menu and then double it!" Karin pointed. "I haven't eaten sushi in years!"

"My, my, what an appetite!" Taka-san's father said. "You haven't eaten sushi in a long time huh?"

"Well kinda, I ate the cheap ones you can buy in Publix," Karin smiled. "Make it quick though, I'm hungry!"

"Will do!" he said happily.

"Karin-chan, let's take pictures!" Shiba said, holding up a camera. Karin nodded happily, kicked off her shoes and hugged Fuji by the back, which was eating Wasabi rolls. "Say cheese, Shusuke!"

Shiba took the picture. Karin then went for Inui. She threw an arm around his shoulders and smiled. He did the same. Karin then took a picture with Oishi and Kikumaru; Oishi was scolding Kikumaru with a weak smile because he had a fish's tail coming out of his mouth and Karin was laughing. Karin took a picture with Kaidoh and Momo next. Momo was smiling stupidly along with Karin, but Kaidoh was with a bored expression with his cheeks bunched up with food. She took a picture with Taka-san too, acting like a waitress like he was. She took a picture with Ryoma too; she was ruffling his hair with an arm lock and he was complaining. She took a picture with the freshmen and Sakuno and with some random guy that came in but was told to leave by Taka-san's dad .

"Now _this_ is the _real_ challenge…" Karin whispered to Shiba. They stood a few feet from Tezuka, who was eating calmly on the counter. Karin made a camera gesture with her hands. "I get him ready, you snap the picture fast, got it?" Karin nodded when Shiba nodded.

"Te-heh-heh-Tezuka!" Karin called out poking his cheek that was bunched with rice. He rolled his eyes and swallowed. "What?"

"Smile for the camera Ka-zu-te!" She spun him around roughly on his chair and threw an arm around his shoulders; pressing her cheek against his and making his glasses lift from the bridge of his nose slantwise. He squirmed slightly to get away but Shiba snapped the picture. He came out with a slightly angry/confused expression while glancing at Karin but she was oblivious and kept on smiling.

"You got your…let me…" Karin stammered pointed at his glasses that were placed diagonally on his face. The regulars at the tables snickered as she tried to fix them on his face. Tezuka grunted. "Don't touch me,"

"Ok, ok," Karin retrieved her hands back and smiled at Shiba, who gave her a thumbs-up.

While Karin was eating in a similar way to Momo; Echizen laughed. "Karin-senpai, you look like a pirate with the eye patch,"

Fuji, who was sitting next to her, laughed. "Echizen's right!"

Karin smiled and took the chopsticks she was using and stuffed them in her nose. She stood on her feet. "I am the pirate chopstick nose!" she said in a deep, comical voice and then laughed mechanically, like an evil villain.

The regulars laughed and Karin laughed too.

"You're so weird Karin-chan," Kikumaru said, laughing. Momo nodded. "Yeah, Kikumaru-senpai's right, why are you so weird?"

She shrugged. "I think I was slammed against a wall when I was born."

"That doesn't surprise me Mizushima," Tezuka spoke for the first time in an hour. Karin gave him a crooked smile. "I love you too, Tezuka."

"I'm home!" Karin called out when she arrived at her house. She stopped herself from stepping into the house with shoes. She remembered what happened last time…

"How were your matches?" Jun's sweet voice came from the hallway, a few feet away from Karin. Satoshi smirked and wrapped his arm around his petite wife's shoulders. "Did you kick some ass?"

Karin nodded as she took off her shoes. Her back was facing them so she had to look over her shoulder. "I won, but I got injured," she stood and turned to show them clearly. "Don't worry, Sumire-chan took me to the hospital and they said it would heal in no time."

"Do I call your parents to let them know?" Jun said with a light smile. Karin shrugged and started to walk up the stairs to her room. "Sure, tell dad I won."

Across the world in Miami Beach, Florida, Karin's father lay on the couch, watching a movie he ordered off Netflix.

"Honey," his wife, Karin's mom, stood over the couch her husband was laying on. At hearing his wife's voice, he laid his back on the couch and saw his wife's beautiful face above him. "I got a call from my mom, she said Karin made it into the regular's position in Seigaku and she won the Districts but got her eye injured," she brushed away some canary blonde locks from his forehead. "But she says it will heal soon."

"That's my girl…" he said with a smile. "She's such a badass."


	13. The Paparazzi Are All Up In This Joint!

One more minute, Karin thought, tapping her foot on the hardwood floors desperately. One more minute for classes to end and for practice to begin. She was still wearing her eye patch. The wound wasn't bleeding anymore nor did it hurt but Karin liked the thought of looking like a pirate; though she's also wearing it because the cut is still visible and doesn't let her open her eye; if she does open her eye, the wound would open and it would start bleeding again.

Tezuka wasn't in class. He _was_ in class for the day but an hour before the dismissal bell; he asked the sensei if he could go to the nurse's office. He hadn't come back since then. Karin figured he wanted to skip class but then she thought: Tezuka isn't the dude to skip class.

As soon as the bell rung, Karin started to make her way to the courts but then she turned and went to the nurse's office. Deep down, she was actually worried for him. When she arrived at the nurse's office, she grabbed the doorknob to go inside but as she did or tried too, someone else opened from the inside.

It was Tezuka.

"Ah," he said, which in his language, Karin learned, meant 'hello'. Karin let go of the knob. "What happened; you felt sick or something?"

"None of your business," he responded coldly as he turned his back on her and walked down the hall. Karin blinked quizzically and shook her head. She caught up to him in the hallway. "Nice reply to someone that was worried about you,"

"I never asked for your pity," he replied. Karin rolled her eyes or 'eye' and sighed. "Whatever Tezuka," she then remembered…

"By the way, Ka-zu-te, back at the Districts Tournament, I thought you weren't going to let me continue playing, how come?" she smirked. "I never asked for your pity."

Tezuka stopped abruptly, almost causing Karin to bump into his back. Tezuka stared into the oblivion as he stood there. "I let you play Mizushima…" he trailed off to turn around. He looked her straight in the eyes or 'eye' and gripped his tennis bag's strap. "Because I know what it's like for an injury to hold you back." He turned around and kept on walking.

Karin, dumbstruck, stood there for a few seconds. What does he know? She thought. She scanned him as he walked away. There's nothing wrong with him…whatever.

Tezuka sighed heavily as he buttoned up his Seigaku uniform polo in the boy's locker room. Should I've said what I said? He asked himself. He shook off the thought and started to put on his jersey. That's ridiculous; Mizushima's too oblivious to figure something like that out… his eyes snapped open. She could ask Inui about it…would he tell her? I don't think so…would he?

He wanted to let out a frustrated cry, but being Tezuka Kunimitsu, he wouldn't let out his emotions that easily. He shrugged off the thought and focused on training the team for the Prefectural Tournament.

He walked out of the locker rooms. When he neared the tennis courts, we saw this crowd of Press reporters, Paparazzi, news reporters, photographers, kids from other schools and much more. His expression remained firm though and he walked into the courts where he saw the juniors and freshmen practicing; the regulars were standing by the benches, chatting.

"Hey, Tezuka," Fuji caught glimpse of Tezuka as he walked over. "Do you know where Karin-chan is?"

"I saw her just now; I don't know where she could be,"

"She's probably being attacked by the press," Kaidoh hissed. "They're all after her."

"Damn!" Karin's voice was heard. The regulars glanced over at Karin walking into the courts, slamming the gate closed in the process. "The paparazzi are all up in this joint!"

"What happened?" Momo asked. Karin shrugged. "I went to go change and they followed me; I had to slam the door on one of them…perverts…"

Tezuka sighed and ordered the rest of the team members to clear courts A and B for the regulars.

"There's the vice captain, Oishi!" one of the press reporters told his friend. His companion nodded. "Yeah and there's the freshman that won in straight sets, Echizen Ryoma!"

His friend nodded and then pointed at Karin. "And there's Mizushima Karin; The Empress of Seigaku!"

Karin returned the ball that Kaidoh had served to her.

After almost an hour of practice, the regulars took a short break. Momo, Echizen and Karin were standing by the cooler, getting a drink of water. Since they were so close to the fence, the press kept on snapping pictures of them and the flashes made Momo angry.

"Damn those cameras are so annoying!" Momo complained and then glanced at Karin who was calmly sipping water from her water bottle with a towel resting on her shoulder. The flashed illuminated her face but she was apparently completely unaware of their presence.

"Karin-senpai, the cameras don't bother you?" Momo asked. Karin stopped drinking water and glanced at him. She shrugged. "I didn't even notice them, why, are they bothering you?"

"Wow, you're something else Karin-senpai," Echizen said slyly. Karin smirked and ruffled his hair. "Talking back to a senpai eh?"

"Mizushima," Tezuka called out at the court's gate. Karin groaned. "What do you want now?"

"Talking back to the captain eh?" Echizen back fired. Karin pushed him playfully and walked over to Tezuka.

"I need to talk to you," he said simply and started to walk out of the courts. "Follow me."

Karin raised an eyebrow but followed him. When they were out of earshot, Tezuka turned to her. "You know Echizen Nanjiro, correct?"

"Yeah,"

"You know how he plays?"

"Yeah," Karin was getting a bit frustrated but Tezuka sighed and nodded over to Echizen who was now rallying with Momo. "Do you think Echizen plays exactly like Nanjiro?"

"Of course, he's Nanjiro's copy," Karin responded. Tezuka nodded. "Thank you,"

"For what?" Karin asked but he shook his head. "Just go back to practice or I'll make you run 100 laps."


	14. The Jelly Between Bread

Karin sighed heavily as she came out of the locker rooms after changing into her casual American outfit. That Special Menu for regulars is really tiring, not that she cares; she's always in for a challenge.

"You guys have shopping duty?" Karin asked Momo, Echizen and the three freshmen outside of the courts. Momo nodded. "Yeah, the buchou said it was our turn…" he shivered. "I thought we were in trouble…"

Karin laughed. "Been there and done that Momo-chan," she laughed. "I've gotten in trouble with that statue so many times!"

"You say it like it's a good thing Karin-senpai…" Horio muttered. Karin shrugged. "I keep him on his toes I guess, makes things more fun for him if you ask me." Karin smiled and turned around. "See you guys tomorrow!"

Karin walked down the sidewalks of the city. She hummed a song happily and spotted a soda machine. She smiled and ran over to it. She shuffled around her bag and miraculously found a dollar in the process. She inserted the dollar and pressed the button for a raspberry flavored Snapple.

"Wow, I didn't know elephants can run 24 miles per hour…" Karin muttered to herself as she read the cap. She shrugged it off and drank some of the iced tea.

"99.9% positive you got that Snapple from Tezuka," a voice rang in Karin's ears. She turned to see Inui with notebook in hand. Fuji was standing next to him as well, smiling with his eyes closed like usual.

"Wrong!" Karin swayed the Snapple bottle lightly. "My money, not his!"

"That's unusual," Fuji smiled. Karin smiled but then pouted. "I lost track of how much I owe him though…"

"You owe him about fifteen dollars Karin-chan," Inui closed his notebook. Karin shrugged and rolled her eyes. "That's not _so_ bad is it?"

"Not really," Fuji grinned. "Are you doing anything now, Inui and I are bored."

"I dunno; wanna go buy something to eat?" Karin suggested. The boys shrugged and nodded. "Sure,"

"Impressive notes you have here Sadaharu-chan," Karin said, munching on fries she had bought at a burger joint with the guys. She skimmed his dark green notebook.

"Yeah, he dedicates his life to those notes," Fuji joked, coming back from getting a refill and sitting at the table. Karin laughed and came across a page with Tezuka's information.

"You have little info on Ka-zu-te," Karin laughed. "That doesn't surprise me."

"It shouldn't surprise anyone, it's difficult getting Tezuka to actually act natural," Inui pouted. Karin raised an eyebrow. "Natural?"

"Yeah, back in freshman year, he would _actually _smile," Fuji drank some soda. "But after he rejoined the tennis club, be became the statue we all know today."

"Rejoined?" Karin dipped a French fries in ketchup. "You mean he quit?"

"Well yeah, he doesn't really like to talk about it so don't even go to him," Inui advised and Fuji nodded. "Yep, and he threatened us not to say anything so let's leave it like that."

They sat in silence for a few minutes until Karin saw her section of the notebook. It said she has an unknown father, she copies moves she's interested in or finds 'cool' and then there were unanswered questions on the notebook. The actual questions were written but the answer space was blank.

"You haven't been able to get info on me huh?" Karin smirked, handing him the notebook. Inui shrugged. "You're a tough person to get information out of…" he sighed. "Kind of like Fuji and Tezuka."

Karin smiled at Inui and shrugged. "My favorite foods are sushi, cereal, fast food and anything American," she recalled the question. Inui's head perked up and smiled. He wrote down her answer.

"My favorite colors are blue, green and black," Karin said. "And my favorite music is Rock and anything random and ridiculous."

"Alright, thank you," Inui smiled. Karin rolled her eyes. "Those are the only answers I'm giving you; don't think I'm an answer-giver-awayer,"

"Don't worry about it," Inui said smiling. "Finding the answers myself is more entertaining anyway."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters, Karin-chan?" Fuji asked as they walked down the sidewalk. Inui had left because he went to spy on someone.

"No, I'm a single child," Karin answered. Fuji laughed. "You must be so spoiled then huh?"

"Not really…sorta…" Karin grinned sheepishly. "I don't act spoiled though…"

"You don't seem like the spoiled brat," Fuji smiled. "I have a younger brother and an older sister."

"Ah, you're the middle child,"

"Yeah, I'm the jelly between two pieces of bread," Fuji grinned and Karin laughed. "You're totally right!"


	15. Golden Power Remix

"So you flip the fraction and then multiply?" Karin sipped some Pepsi as she read through the notes Inui had written down. Karin was never good at any form of math, no matter how easy it was.

"Yes, you multiply by the reciprocal," Inui handed her the pencil. Karin wrote down the answer and showed it to him. "Is it this?" Written on the paper was three-fourths.

Inui smirked. "Are you sure?"

"Stop doing that!" she tossed one of the many crumbled notebook papers on the table at him. "I know I'm retarded at this."

"You got it right Karin-chan," Inui chuckled. Karin sighed and closed the spiral notebook. "At least I got this homework out of the way; thanks for helping me Sadaharu-chan,"

"No problem," Inui smiled and flipped through his green handbook. "Now I need your help for this…"

"I ain't stalking anyone," Karin raised her eyebrows, making Inui laugh. "Nothing like that Karin-chan," he showed her the pages, which was an ingredients list. "I need a new recipe for my latest Inui Juice; the current recipe is getting old."

"Hmm…" Karin shrugged. "Depends, do you wanna make it good or bad?"

Inui shot her a look, giving off the message: _Bad, duhhhh..._

"Well then, you normally put random vegetables in it, so why not start putting a little protein in it?" Karin smirked, making Inui furrow his eyebrows in interest. "Go on…"

"Bugs," Karin smiled. "I'm not a picky eater. Throw beetles in there for all I care."

"Alright," Inui glanced at his watch. "It's getting late; you should start heading home before it gets dark."

"You're right," Karin stood and swung her bag's strap over her shoulder. They both exited the burger joint. Karin turned to the right and Inui to the left. She had a feeling what she was going to do.

The next day in afternoon practice, Tezuka called all the regulars up.

"There is nine days before the prefectural tournament begins," Tezuka explained. "From today on, regulars will practice with a special menu."

"Menu as in food or…?" Karin trailed off, already starting to piss off Tezuka. However, he knew better and merely ignored her presence.

"As for today; a rally match with limitations to where the ball can land," Tezuka said. "This is called Zone Practice."

"We gonna be in the zone!" Karin smiled. Kikumaru grinned. "Sounds interesting!"

Inui walked up the white board and pointed at the court drawn on it with black marker. "The differences between the regulars' play styles are as follow,"

"Counter Puncher; they stay at the baseline and wait for an opponents' misses with stable strokes," Inui explained. "Kaidoh, Fuji, Oishi."

"Aggressive Baseliner; they also stay at the baseline but attack fiercely," he continued. "Kawamura, Momoshiro."

"Serve and Volley; they have talents in both speed and reflexes that are centered on net play," Inui nodded at the red head. "Kikumaru."

"And lastly, Echizen, Tezuka and Karin-chan are known as all-rounders," Inui pushed up his glasses. "They take aspects of every tennis style to maximize their overall strength."

"Eh, kinda suits Ka-zu-te to be an all-rounder; can you imagine him doing flips and shit?" Karin smirked and shuddered. "Not a pretty sight."

The regulars snickered and Tezuka held the urge to blush and tell her to run 150 laps around Tokyo.

"Today, Counter Puncher and Serve and Volley will guard the entire court while the Aggressive Baseliners and all-rounders guard the opposite court which is the half court," Inui pointed at the board. "It's a 5-rally match; players on defense must return the ball to the shaded parts only and if you hit outside, you lose. As for the attacking players, you will lose if you cannot score a point during the 5 rallies."

Echizen stepped forward. "So us attackers just need to finish it within 5 rallies right?"

Inui nodded and Oishi stepped forward. "On the other hand, the defenders win if they don't lose a point during the five rallies, right?"

"Yes," Inui smirked evilly. "And also, if you lose, you drink Inui's special vegetable juice!"

Everyone who has drank the juice shuddered. Karin smirked at Inui and he responded with small spark on his foggy lenses.

First match: Kawamura vs. Kaidoh.

Inui stood nearby with a ball basket since it was unfair to let either side serve.

Kawamura gripped his racquet. "C'mon snake boy! Show me what you got!"

Kaidoh glared. "Bastard…"

"Here we go!" Inui served the ball towards Kaidoh, who took _the_ stance.

"Dude, snake already?" Karin shook her head. Oishi laughed. "Kaidoh gets serious very quickly Karin-chan."

"I can see that…" Karin watched as the rally continued. It was tense but Kaidoh was persistent, even though Kawamura kept pushing him back with his power. Kaidoh at some point snapped and did his famous but not yet developed Boomerang Snake but it hit out.

"Mamushi sucks," Momo laughed.

Inui handed Kaidoh a cup of his vegetable juice, making him run out of the courts for water.

"Next up: full court, Oishi. Half court, Momoshiro," Tezuka said calmly.

The two rallied for a while until Oishi accidently shot a lob, making Momo jump into the air and do his Dunk Smash. Oishi miraculously caught up to the ball but his racquet was blown out of his hands.

Oishi went to get his racquet. As soon as he picked it up, Inui was right behind him with a cup of Inui Juice.

Everyone jumped when Oishi yelped in horror and tripped over the cooler holding all the water bottles.

As Kikumura went to help his doubles partner Momo sighed with relief. "Man, I'm glad I didn't drink that…"

Karin, hearing this, laughed. "Momo-chan, you haven't even seen the worst part yet."

"What do you mean?" Echizen asked but Karin just laughed.

A few minutes later, the three freshmen and all the juniors gasped as Tezuka made a drop shot where the ball rolled over to the net. Karin's head popped up.

"Yo, I blinked and I missed it; what happened?"

Fuji laughed at Karin's remark. "He beat me."

"That sucks," Karin pouted as Tezuka walked out of the courts, "would've been funny to shove some Inui Juice down his throat." Karin raised an eyebrow when Tezuka glared at her, his glasses gleaming in the sunlight with anger; which scared Momo and Echizen who were sitting by her.

"Did you let him get the point Shusuke-kun?" Karin asked. Fuji shrugged. "Eh, I guess I wanted to try Inui's vegetable juice again," Fuji watched Inui pour some water into a cup. They all frowned and Inui took a look at the tag on the bottle: Tezuka.

Everyone glanced over in shock at the stoic captain drinking from Inui's water bottle which was filled with his vegetable juice.

"Damn, he is God!" Karin laughed. "He didn't die!"

"What are you talking about Mizushima?" Tezuka glared daggers. "Do you want 100 laps?"

"Hell no, what kind of question is that?" Karin furrowed her eyebrows and glared at the captain, who returned the action. The rest of the regulars shrugged. "Maybe he is immune…?" Little did they know, he gripped the water bottle in agony at the awful taste in his mouth and he was grateful Karin made him mad so it wouldn't look like he was gripping the bottle for no reason.

Inui's eyebrow twitched. "I have no choice now but to use my new Inui Juice," he pulled out a cup of clear brown liquid. "I call it Golden Power Remix Inui Juice."

"What's in that?" Kikumaru shuddered. Karin laughed. "You'd be happier if you didn't know; trust me."

"YOU KNOW WHAT'S _IN IT_?" everyone cried frantically. Karin smirked. "Maybe; maybe not."

Now it was Kikumura vs. Echizen. The red head kept on surprising Echizen with his acrobatic moves but Echizen surprised him the most when he did a between the legs shot which Karin knew he got from her match with Ibu Shinji.

Even though it was going to be a perfect shot, Kikumura jumped and surprisingly got the ball and as the freshman ran to the net, he declared it to be five rallies. Poor Echizen had to drink Golden Power Remix Inui Juice.

"Wait, who am I gonna play against?" Karin asked frantically. Inui smirked. "I'm going to be your opponent."


	16. Inui vs Karin

Karin stood on the opposite side of the court. Inui pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Tezuka, taking Inui's place at the ball basket, served the ball. Karin automatically returned the ball.

One, she thought.

Inui ran to the ball and returned with a spin. Karin saw this and returned the ball to the baseline.

Two, she counted and smirked. I could try it…

Inui saw her smirk and figured she was up to something. He returned the ball. "What's with the smirk?"

"Oh nothing," Karin returned and counted three. "Just laughing at how much of a dork Tezuka is."

Tezuka glared at the girl, making Inui laugh. He returned the ball. "You're running out of time, Karin-chan,"

"Yeah, yeah," Karin, who was standing at the left side of the baseline, started to run to the net.

"She's going for the net," Taka-san muttered. Everyone watched as Karin volleyed the ball to Inui's court.

Four, she sang in her head.

Inui, however, caught up to the ball and shot it towards the right side of court, which was right open. Little did he know that this was all part of her plan.

Running parallel to the net, she inched her way to the ball. Karin reached out for the ball with a right-handed forehand. Inui saw this and started to back up. Karin saw this and time seemed to go in slow motion. She spun on her heel with her back to the net. As she did this, she switched her racquet to her left hand and then returned to face the court. Then she did a drop shot.

The ball softly went over the net and bounced a few times on the court before coming to a stop. Inui blinked in surprise and looked up at Karin who straightened out and smirked. "My ace in the hole,"

"Eh," Echizen smirked. "That's pretty good."

The three freshmen were awestruck. "Ace in the hole?" Horio questioned, making Kachiro nod. "Mizushima-senpai's ace…Spinning Ace!"

"Spinning Ace," Karin smiled as she walked over. She patted Kachiro's head, making him blush slightly. "I like that." Karin smiled and faced Tezuka with the same smile. "Te-heh-heh-Tezuka! Gimme a dollar for Snapple!"

Tezuka sighed and gave her the dollar. He realized there was no getting away from Mizushima Karin.

Coach Ryuzaki stepped into the courts. "Ok, gather around!"

Karin, drinking her strawberry-kiwi Snapple, stood with the rest of the team facing the board.

"108 schools after the preliminaries; each and every one of them is very strong," the coach explained. "Only five teams will get into the Kantou regional tournament."

"Huh, looks like we're going to be playing against your brother's school, St. Rudolph, in the best 8 match, right Fuji?" Taka-san said. Fuji smiled. "Looks like it."

"Aww, cute," Karin smiled. Fuji chuckled.

"Ok, we've come to face these schools now," Ryuzaki eyed Karina and Echizen. "We're aiming to be champions right?"

"Yes," the regulars said. Karin smiled. "Hell yeah, we're gonna be champs!" she glanced at Tezuka, who seemed to be in a daze, staring at the board with the listings. Karin raised an eyebrow. "Yo, Ka-zu-te," she waved a hand in front of his face; she had to tip-toe to do this, since he was taller. Tezuka blinked and looked down at her. "Hnn?"

"What the hell Ka-zu-te, you looked like you were in Narnia there for a sec—"

"Run ten laps around the courts, Mizushima," Tezuka ordered her. Karin rolled her eyes. "Sheesh, you don't let me even finish my sentence," she handed him the half empty Snapple bottle. "Drink the rest if you want, I don't got swine flu or anything."

Tezuka frowned and watched her jog out of the courts and begin running the laps. Fuji walked over and snickered. "Are you seriously going to drink that, Tezuka?"

"Of course not," Tezuka tossed it to him. He sat on the bench and sighed, watching Karin run the laps through the fence and Echizen play. Tezuka grasped his left elbow.


	17. Nanjiro Echizen

Karin made a sharp turn on the icy road, almost making Yoshi drown in the freezing waters. Yoshi made a weird tongue noise when he crossed the finish line…in 11th place.

"Man, I suck today…" Karin mumbled, eating some dry cereal from a bowl on her lap. Karin always played as Yoshi in Mario Kart.

"Karin," Jun came out of the hallway. "You should go out, it's a beautiful day."

"To where exactly?" Karin went down the list of various roads in the game. Jun rolled her eyes thoughtfully. "Why don't you go to Nanjiro's house; you haven't gone by since you got here,"

Karin stopped scrolling down the list and nodded. "Good point," she got up, placing the bowl of cereal on the coffee table and stretched. "I'll go get dressed."

Karin was now on the sidewalk and stopped on a house that said 'Echizen' on it. She opened and closed the gate, made her way to the porch and rang the doorbell. Almost instantly, Ryoma answered the door. He was wearing a red jacket, black shorts, trademark hat and tennis shoes. He looked like he was about to go out somewhere. He also had his red tennis racquet under his arm.

"Can I help you Karin-senpai?" Echizen asked. Karin smiled and patted his head. "I'm here to see your dad, is he around?"

"Whoa, Karin is that you?"

Karin looked into the house to see Echizen Nanjiro bug-eyed. He was a wearing a casual kimono. Karin smiled and nodded. "It's me Nan-chan, who're you doing?"

Ryoma walked past Karin and went out the gates. Karin looked back at the freshman and then at his father. "Where's he going?"

"He's going over to Haritatsu's place to get Ryuzaki's granddaughter's racquet fixed; but forget him, look at you!" he dashed over and ruffled her milk chocolate hair. "You were so little and cute when I last saw you; and now you're all grown up!"

"And you cut your hair," Karin smirked. "You looked better with your hair long."

"Oh shut up, that was tacky," Nanjiro nodded towards the house. "Come in, make yourself at home."

"Honey look, it's Karin!" Nanjiro said into the kitchen as Karin walked in. Rinko, Ryoma's mom, turned and grinned warmly. "Karin-chan, look how much you've grown!"

"Hey Rinko-chan," Karin grinned just as warmly.

"Who's this?" said a girl with long hair. Rinko smiled. "This is Karin," Rinko placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. "And this is Nanako."

"Ah, you must be Ryoma's cousin, right?"

"Yes," she smiled and nodded.

"So how's everything in the United States?" Rinko asked. Karin nodded. "Good, a bunch of crazy, random people but good."

"And how's my lover?" Nanjiro formed hearts in his eyes and blushed. Karin laughed. Nan-chan and her dad always pretend to act like a gay couple, much to their wives annoyance but Karin finds it funny.

"My mom still doesn't know about your relationship with my father," Karin played along, confusing Nanako, who was new to all this. Rinko just rolled her eyes. Karin winked. "Get him good, he likes it rough."

"You have to love this girl," Nanjiro smirked and high-fived Karin. "Wanna go spy on Ryoma?"

"Wasn't he going to Haritatsu's?" Rinko asked.

"Yeah but he's got Ryuzaki's granddaughter with him," Nanjiro stood from the table. "C'mon Karin-chan!"

"Coming~!" she sang and followed him out of the kitchen.

"There they are," Nanjiro pointed at his son and Ryuzaki's granddaughter walking through a 'romantic' park where all the couples were. They were hiding behind a fountain. Nanjiro snickered. "Let's go,"

They both sneaked from behind the fountain, making sure the two freshmen didn't hear or see them. Karin however, caught glance of a shy couple on a bench. None of them seemed to make a move. She scoffed and marched over to them.

"Get on with it!" Karin smirked, scaring them. "You both are gonna be old farts by the time either of you gets the ball sacks to say something!"

They were slightly confused at her choice of words but the boy grabbed the girl's hands and started to ramble out his confession. Karin turned and rolled her eyes. "Sheesh, freakin' Japs and their shyness…"

She looked from side to side and cursed under her breathe. She lost Nan-chan. She shrugged however and walked to the stairs descending down the park. She then recognized four familiar figures by the stairs.

"What's up with that guy?" Horio asked quizzically after seeing Nanjiro go down the stairs, peek over the railing and then run off.

"Ah, that's the monk from before!" Momo growled. "The sexual harasser!"

"Who's sexually harassing who?" Karin popped up from behind them, scaring them.

"Karin-senpai!" the freshmen said, making her raise her eyebrows. "I repeat: who's sexually harassing who?"

"It's a long story Karin-senpai," Momo rolled his eyes and pointed down the stairs. "We're following Echizen; he's on a date, wanna come?"

Her eyes widened. "You're following Ryoma?" _They're following him too; what the hell?_ She thought to herself.

She decided to tag along for whatever reason. They all ended up by Haritatsu's place. Karin's visited once or twice; she'd come to fix her racquet strings one time when she was visiting Japan with her parents. Her dad apparently knew him fairly well and the old man had asked for Ryuzaki and Nanjiro. That's all Karin can remember though.

"Look, Ryoma-kun came out!" Kachiro said. Ryoma and Sakuno walked out of Haritatsu's place. Karin knew that it was for a short walk, since Ryoma didn't have his racquet with him and neither did Sakuno.

"C'mon, let's follow!" Momo said, and him and the freshmen ran off. Again, Karin was in her own little world and lost them.

She walked up to the stringer's shop and slid open the door.

"Hello?" she called out. She heard some strings snapping before Haritatsu, the old man, walked out. "Hello, how may I help you young lady?"

Karin raised an eyebrow and locked her glance with his. Her ocean blue eyes gleamed with the sunlight that came in through the glass window. Haritatsu's eyebrows furrowed until he saw that spark in her eyes.

"Karin?"

"Yes sir," she smiled. He chuckled loudly. "Look how much you've grown; you were so little when I first met you!"

"You haven't changed much Haritatsu-san," Karin smiled. The old man walked back to the racquet he was working on. "Do you need something or are you just here to say hi?"

"To say hi," Karin smiled; she knew that he knew the answer. Haritatsu chuckled. "How's your father? Is he still a goofball like his daughter?"

Karin smirked. "Of course, don't you know everyone's question on who really gave birth to me; if it was my mom or my dad?"

The old man laughed and tightened the strings on the light pink racquet. "My guess, it was your dad; you're exactly like him…except the hair."

"Yeah I know," Karin blew a chocolate brown lock from her face. They then started to talk for a while. He told her that he'd heard of her when these kids came in talking about a girl in Seigaku that got her eye injured but kept playing and won. After drinking some tea, she stood from the chair.

"Well, gotta go," she opened the door to the shop. "Take care."

"You too," he smiled back. "Come by anytime!"

Karin now walked down the sidewalks, drinking a peach Snapple. She walked by a tennis court to see Ryoma and Sakuno playing easy tennis and Momo, the freshmen trio and Nanjiro watching and goofing off. Karin smiled and threw the empty Snapple bottle into the trash.

"Time to go home and play some Mario Kart…"


	18. Tezuka's Challenge

"_BURNING!_" Taka-san cried in English, returning Momo's shot.

"_DUNK SMASH!_" Momo replied in English, returning the ball with equal force.

"Well that's what I call 'not giving in' huh?" Kachiro said to his fellow freshmen friends.

"You got that right; the senpais always have this kind of spirit!" Katsuo replied. Horio nodded. "It's almost the prefectural tournament…" he trailed off to sigh. "…but none of them are speaking Japanese…"

Katsuo and Kachiro laughed. "You're…You're right…"

"_YEAH, BALL SACKS!_" Karin cried in English, appearing behind the freshmen and scaring them. She punched the air. "_LET'S KICK SOME ASS!_"

"Mizushima, can you please be quiet?" Tezuka walked into the courts. Karin stuck her tongue out at him with a playful grin. "Shove it, Ka-zu-te."

"Karin-chan, come here for a second!" Inui called out to Karin. Karin nodded and started to run over. "Coming!"

It was almost time for afternoon practice to end. Tezuka was standing by the benches, watching Ryoma speaking with Inui about his flaws and Karin talking and laughing with Momo, Fuji and Kikumaru.

"Everyone seems to be in top shape," Oishi walked over to Tezuka. "The prefectural tournament is good to go."

"We can't let our guard down," Tezuka said sternly. "There are no easy tournaments in this world. It's good to remember that."

"Y-You're right…" Oishi gave him a weak smile. Karin suddenly walked over and extended her arm to Tezuka. "A dollar please?"

"Hnn," Tezuka already had a loose dollar in his pocket; he knew Karin would pop the question at some point.

"Thank you very much," Karin snatched the dollar and ran out of the courts. He then sighed and walked a few steps forward. "That's it for today!" he said to the team. "Watch out for injuries. That's all. Dismissed!"

Karin hummed a random tune as she drank the lemon flavored tea. As she walked past the boy's locker rooms, she heard a voice.

"Do you know the clay court in Haruno University?" a stern voice said. Karin blinked and stopped dead in her tracks. Tezuka.

She popped her head behind the locker rooms to see Ryoma and Tezuka.

"The newly renovated place right? Yeah, I know it." Ryoma told him. Karin watched Tezuka fumble with something in his pocket. He pulled out a brand new tennis ball and tossed it to Ryoma. The freshman blinked quizzically, trying to comprehend what his captain was trying to tell him. "What is it?"

"I'll be waiting for you there at 3 p.m., three days from now," Tezuka told him. "Come alone. I'll bring the tennis balls." And with that, the stoic captain walked away, leaving EchizenRyoma in the biggest state of shock of his life.

Karin gulped and hid behind some tennis equipment when Tezuka passed by; luckily, he didn't spot her. Karin let out a small laugh at the memory of Echizen's face.

_He took the biggest mental shit ever!_ She thought.

Tezuka turned on the water faucet and cupped his hands under the cold water. He splashed his face with the cold water and then turned off the faucet. He raised his hand to grab his towel but, miraculously, it was gone.

"Hnn…?" he let out his usual response to that situation. From the corner of his eye however, he saw Oishi holding his towel for him.

"You're going to duel?" he asked as Tezuka took the towel. The tennis team captain dried his face. "You were listening?"

"Tezuka, what are you thinking?" Oishi said. His tone was neutral however, no tone or hints of anything. Tezuka sighed and reached for his glasses, but they too had disappeared. He glared at Oishi, who shook his head. "I didn't take them," he said.

"_Living easy, loving free; season ticket on a one-way ride! Asking nothing, leave me be; taking everythin' in my stride! Don't need reason, don't need rhyme! Ain't nothing that I'd rather do! Going down, party time! My friends are gonna be there too…!_" Karin danced stupidly to the fountain, her IPhone ear buds in her ears, listening to the American song. She was, no doubt, wearing his glasses. She rested her arms on the fountain and raised his glasses from her face to the top of his head. "_I'm on the HIGHWAY TO HELL, on the HIGHWAY TO HELL!_"

"Mizushima," Tezuka glared. "What are you doing?"

"What?" Karin yelled particularly loud. "I can't hear you!"

Tezuka'seyes sharpened and he pulled his glasses from her head, placing them over his eyes. He glanced at Oishi. "I'll be fine."

"_No stop signs, speed limit. Nobody's gonna slow us down!_" Karin kept singing. "_Like a wheel, gonna spin it. Nobody's gonna mess me around!_" Karin walked away, doing an air guitar solo.

Karin realized that after challenging Echizen, Tezuka…was exactly the same boring, intellectual and monotonous dude that she's always known. Day one went by pretty quickly, so did day two and finally…day three arrived.

"The courts are pretty quiet…" Kaidoh hissed. Momo nodded. "Yeah...too quiet…"

"If you're wondering why, it's because Karin-chan's missing," Inui scribbled in his notebook. Fuji's smile faded. "Is she alright?"

"Karin is fine," Ryuzaki walked over to the regulars, who were holding the conversation. "She just called in saying she had her…monthly thing and couldn't make it."

"Monthly thing?" the freshmen trio asked. Fuji laughed. "I have an older sister, I know what that is," his smile faded. "It's _not_ pretty…"

"_Anyway…_" Ryuzaki emphasized this to let Fuji know not to get into details. "Tezuka, Oishi and Ryoma all called in sick."

"Sick?" the regulars started to wonder, but Ryuzaki swayed her hands in front of her. "Stop worrying about others and get to practice!"

Mumbling amongst themselves, the regulars went off to do their daily practice.

Karin ran down the sidewalks, cursing at herself. "Damn me and my girly instincts!" she had waltzed into a store that sold American attire; selling skinny jeans, spiked belts, t-shirts with weird sayings on the front, converse sneakers, vans, earrings with sushi on them, rubber band bracelets saying weird phrases like "I ate your kids" or "clowns will one day rule the world"; Karin lost track of the time.

She slowed her pace when she reached the fence of the courts. She spotted Oishi there; he looked terrified.

"What's eating you?" Karin walked over and placed her bag next to his. His glance snapped onto her and he blinked. "What are you doing here, Karin-chan? You overheard Tezuka and me talking yesterday?"

"Not really, I heard him challenging Ryo-chan. I was listening to AC/DC when you two were talking by the fountains and I stole his glasses," Karin laughed. "He's freaking blind."

"What's AC/DC?" Oishi asked. Karin gasped. "It's one of the greatest rock bands ever; I love them!" Karin looked over at the match between Tezuka and Echizen. "So who do you think's gonna win?"

Oishi gulped and followed Karin's glance. "We have to stop this, Karin-chan…Tezuka's gonna…"

"I know you're all protective of the team, but let Ka-zu-te have some fun kicking Ryo-chan's—"

"That's not it…" Oishi interfered Karin's sentence. Oishi looked over at Karin and sighed. "You really don't know, do you; about Tezuka's situation?"

"Should I?" Karin raised an eyebrow. "It's Sadaharu-chan's job to stalk not mine."

"I'm going to tell you because you're on the team and you're trustworthy, but don't let Tezuka know; he'll get very upset," Oishi begged and Karin nodded. "Yeah, what's up?"

Oishi nodded and sighed. "When he was a freshman, Tezuka joined the tennis team. He was good and he defeated all the juniors and seniors in straight sets…but with his right hand."

"So?"

"An upperclassman found out he was actually left-handed and got jealous and…" he winced at the memory. "He hit him in the elbow with his racquet, saying that if Tezuka didn't need his left hand to defeat them, he should just break it and never use it."

Karin's eyes widened. "And then Tezuka got pissed and quit right?"

Oishi's eyes widened. "How do you know that?"

"Sadaharu-chan and Shusuke-kun; but that's all they told me; they didn't want to get into details because they were scared of Tezuka," Karin blinked. "Everything's starting to make sense now…"

"**Because I know what it's like for an injury to hold you back."**

Karin felt as though a huge arrow pierced her heart. She felt bad for him; loving tennis so much and having an injury hold him back, at least Karin's injury healed and would never emerge again, but as for Tezuka, it could heal but it could come back.

"The doctor said it was healed; but he told Tezuka to stay away from long matches and refrain from using his drop shot but…" Oishi trailed off.

"He doesn't listen," Karin finished. "In one ear and out the other."

"E-Exactly…" Oishi said. His ear twitched at a pop sound. He looked over and saw Karin sitting on the floor, digging her hand into a jumbo bag of Hot Cheetos. She ate the Cheetos and showed Oishi the bag. "Want some?"

"No thank you," he said, and Karin shrugged and kept eating.

Oishi gasped when Tezuka used his drop shot. Oishi trembled. "Tezuka…your arm…"

"He's such a dipshit," Karin raised her eyebrows and Oishi sighed. "Ye—wait what?"

"Yes; dip-shit," she broke it into syllables. She shook her head when Tezuka declared game set; won by himself. "You know what train he gets to go home?"

"Probably #23, why?"

"I'm gonna talk to him," Karin crumbled the bag of Cheetos and throwing it into a nearby trashcan.

Tezuka waited patiently for the train to arrive. When it did, the doors opened and he entered. Once he did, he sat down and sighed.

He noticed that a girl sat next to him, suspicious one, having a white cap and sunglasses on; though her cap looked very familiar…

"You're the biggest idiot ever, you know that?" the girl said. He ignored her, figuring that she was talking to someone else, but then she poked his left elbow, miraculously poking a joint that hurt at the moment.

He winced and cupped his elbow with his right hand. He glanced at the girl quizzically and she slid the sunglasses down her nose, exposing two ocean blue orbs.

"I'm talking to you," Karin said. Tezuka's mood shifted from a calm one to an angered one. "What do you want Mizushima?"

"I saw your match with Ryoma; I overheard you three days ago," Karin informed him. "How can you play when you know you have an injured elbow?" Karin slapped his right hand away and pressed the joint again, making him wince silently. "It's there isn't it?"

"Obvious much?" his voice trembled.

"I understand you now," Karin took off her sunglasses. "Why didn't you just tell me? Like I said: you're an idiot."

"Don't insult me," Tezuka said.

"So that's why you asked me if Ryo-chan played like Nan-chan," Karin ignored his statement. "You don't want him to be a clone."

"Well you're smart…" Tezuka mumbled. Karin frowned at him. "It hurts, doesn't it?"

He glanced at her, their eyes meeting; chocolate brown vs. ocean blue.

"Ah," he mumbled after a long pause; meaning 'yes' in his language.

Karin clapped her hands together and rubbed them together. Without warning, she held his wrist and with her free hand, jabbed his elbow outward. He swallowed a cry he wanted to let out but miraculously, his elbow completely stopped the pain it kept shooting throughout his arm.

Tezuka glanced up at Karin, who stood, for this was her stop. She slipped on her sunglasses. "Better?"

"How did you—?"

"A magician never tells her secrets," Karin placed her finger over her smirking lips. "I numbed your joints; put some ice on it and you'll be fine." With that, she swung her bag over her shoulder and went out the train doors. Tezuka was left to his thoughts.

"You said one of your classmates did this?" Oishi's uncle, Tezuka's physician, told him. He went to the hospital after Karin did what she did. Tezuka knew she couldn't possibly have worsened his elbow, since it stopped hurting.

"Ah; she said to put some ice on it too," Tezuka explained. Oishi's uncle raised a brow. "Your elbow's fine; that's the work of a therapist though," he stood and examined something on his desk. "Do you know her family?"

"Not really; I don't know much about her to begin with," Tezuka admitted and the doctor chuckled. "Well, what she did to your elbow was exactly what a therapist would've done to you."

"Do you think she knows a therapist?" Tezuka asked. He shrugged. "To do something like that without a flaw; she's _related_ to a therapist," he said. "Now get on home; it's late Tezuka-san."

**Extended Ending**

A knock was heard at Karin's door. Since she was close by, she decided to get the door. When she opened it, there were a few people standing by the gate of her grandparents' house. She squinted in the darkness and realized it was Fuji, Inui, Momo, Kikumaru and the freshmen.

"What do you guys want?" Karin asked. Fuji turned to the group. "This is stage one, it'll get worst."

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Karin sighed and the group behind Fuji shivered. Kikumaru hugged Fuji. "Will she eat us?"

"No," Fuji stated. "She seems fairly calm at the moment but stay behind me; girls in her situation tend to _spike_ a lot."

"Meaning their emotions tend to mix around a lot," Inui scribbled in his notebook. Karin squinted in confusion. "Do you guys _need_ something?"

"Oh no, she's gonna get pissed!" Horio cried. Karin stepped out on the porch. "What the ball sacks do you guys want?"

"Her hormones are now spiking," Inui stated and Kikumaru blinked. "Is that bad?"

Fuji nodded. "Yes, it means she get angry very easily, so don't say something stu—"

Karin held the urge to throw household objects at them when she realized what they were talking about. "Seriously, you guys are this immature?"

"Normally, Karin-chan is immature but in her current state…" Fuji advised. "She tends to be more mature than she would be when she's normal."

Karin rolled her eyes and smiled. "Oh Shusuke-kun~, Sadaharu-chan~,"

"Yes?" they answered sweetly, trying to not enrage her; but little did they know, it was just the opposite. Karin smiled with such sweetness. "You two are going to know what a girl's period is _really_ like when I _do_ get it."


	19. Jewel and Karupin's Adventure

The annoying alarm clock rung through Karin's ears loudly. She sighed and reached out for the ringing clock on her nightstand, her hand fumbling to reach it. Before she could reach it however, it fell to the floor with a sickening crunch, shutting it down and possibly breaking it. Karin, quizzical about this, opened her eyes to see Jewel, her Russian blue cat, sitting on her nightstand, purring at her owner with gleaming vivid green eyes.

Karin laughed softly and petted her head. "You really are a smart little cat aren't you?"

She let out a meow in response and purred.

Jewel followed her beloved owner down the stairs. Karin was already dressed for school; much to her displeasure.

She sat at the table and yawned but stopped midway when she saw a Japanese style breakfast. She frowned and turned her head towards the hallway leading to the living room. "Ojii-san!"

"Your grandfather went out to see a friend," Jun came into the kitchen and placed a cup of milk on the table. "Don't worry Karin, I'll make you a Western breakfast tomorrow, I promise."

"It's ok," Karin drank a gulp of milk and realized she forgot to do some homework.

"Shit on me…" she muttered under her breathe and opened her bag and pulled out a notebook and pencil.

"Karin, what's wrong?" Jun asked. Karin took the chopsticks with her right hand and began eating while writing down her homework with her dominant hand. One of the reasons why she copied Nitoryuu: easier life.

"Homework?" Jun raised her eyebrows. "You're doing homework _now_?"

"I forgot to do it last night, sorry," Karin smiled meekly and put some rice in her mouth. "Don't worry though, it's a breeze; it's science; all I have to do is name the planets and their order."

"Oh, Karin…" Jun rolled her eyes with a small smile. Karin finished her breakfast and her homework at the same time and started to head out.

"I'm off, see you later," Karin said. "Slap ojii-san when he comes back for me."

"Just go to school Karin," Jun laughed from the kitchen. Karin smiled and went out the front door, closing it behind her. She was then greeted by Ramesses, who was wagging his tail playfully. She petted his head and went out the gate and onto the sidewalk. Little did she know, her mischievous cat was close by. She meowed softly and gracefully walked over the various fences of the neighborhood, following her owner.

As Jewel neared Seishun Gakuen, she stopped on the school's gate and started to lick her paw.

Her steely grey ear twitched when she heard another meow. Raising an imaginary brow, she turned to see Himalayan spotted cat. The Himalayan cat, Karupin, had hearts in his eyes; he has helplessly fallen in love at first sight with the elegant Russian blue known as Jewel.

Jewel was not impressed however and merely stood, stretched and waved her steely grey tail and jumped off the gate. Karupin took this as a game and jumped off the railing as well and followed the female cat.

They practically played tag throughout the school, scaring some of the students who happened to be outside at the moment. When the bell rang, Jewel's ears twitched and an idea popped into that smart little head of hers. She, unlike Karupin, was used to schools and how things worked; considering she's escaped various times in America to follow her owner.

She blended in with the huge group of students as they entered the school, leaving Karupin lost.

Jewel hid behind a trashcan and waited for all the students to go into their classes. Once she heard the late bell, she began her exploration. Jewel was amazed, this was not like her owner's previous school…it was much tidier and cleaner and the writing on the walls was absent.

She explored the bathrooms, the cafeteria, the auditorium, the stairs and the hallways. As she walked down one of the hallways however, her cat senses tingled. Karin was close by.

She popped her head to see into a classroom. There, on the desk next to the window was her beloved owner. Jewel stepped down from the window that allowed seeing the classroom and noticed that the sliding door was left open by a quarter of an inch.

"And so, Neptune and Pluto have a strange orbit route because they overlap each other," the sensei explained, drawing the orbit of the two planets or in Pluto's case…whatever Pluto is considered to be.

Karin raised her hand. The teacher sensed this and sighed, not bothering to turn and face her. "No Mizushima-san, Pluto and Neptune will not crash and blow up."

"Awwww…" she pouted, making the class snicker. Tezuka glared at her meaning: only you would ask that question.

Karin smirked and stuck her tongue out at him meaning: oh shut up, you were probably wondering that too.

The two have made up their own silent language, since last time they were passing notes and the teacher saw it and read it to the entire class. It said:

_Which line is funnier to say to someone: "You're an inside-out cow nipple" or "You're an inside-out water buffalo anal"?_

_No comment_

_You actually write 'no comment'. Wtf? You're such a weirdo_

_Look who's talking, giving me a note saying what's funnier: a cow nipple or a water buffalo anus_

_So which is funnier?_

Either way, Tezuka and Karin just resulted in making their own silent language.

As the teacher read from the book, Karin sat at her desk, bored out of her mind. Tezuka, who sat on the desk next to her, was just as bored but didn't show it.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Jewel who is faster than light itself, jumped onto Karin's desk, scaring her out of her skin.

"_Holy fuck!_" the statement came out in English by mistake. She sent her pencil flying through the air and landing somewhere in the back of the classroom. The whole class looked over, seeing Karin white as a piece of paper, hyperventilating at her desk and an elegant looking cat sitting calmly on her desk.

Jewel meowed and purred. Karin's eyebrows furrowed. "J-Jewel?"

She meowed in response. Karin flared. "Damn it Jewel! Again with this?"

"Mizushima-san, why is there a cat on your desk?" the sensei asked. Karin blushed and laughed nervously. "This is my cat, Jewel. She tends to follow me to school a lot; it completely normal," she then blushed even more. "Sorry about saying that a word by the way…"

"What word?" the sensei blinked and so did the rest of the classroom. Tezuka however, knew exactly what she had said, having read tons of English books when he was little and knowing the language fairly well.

"N-Never mind," Karin covered it up and smiled. "What do I do with Jewel?"

"Is she a calm cat?" the sensei asked.

"Yeah,"

"Well, just keep her with you and I'll alert the principle later; I'll tell him you're permitted to have a cat in the school by me."

"Thanks," Karin took her cat and placed her on her lap. She petted her head and she purred.

The bell rang for lunch. Karin, with Jewel in her arms, went over to Fuji and Kikumaru's classroom; she tends to eat lunch with them. Tezuka decided to tag along because his lame excuse was to supervise Karin; especially when she has a cat.

"Dude, I know how to handle animals," Karin told him, walking through the hallways. "If I didn't know how to handle them; wouldn't Jewel have died already?"

"Hnn," was his response.

Karin rolled her eyes and opened the door to the classroom.

"Karin-chan nya~!" Kikumaru waved and blinked when he noticed the cat. "Karin-chan, why do you have a cat?"

"This is Jewel; she decided to follow me to school," Karin placed her on the desk and sat down on a chair. Fuji chuckled. "By any chance, is there a Himalayan spotted cat in your neighborhood?"

"Not that I know of," Karin said. "Why?"

Fuji shook his head. "Nothing," he glanced at Tezuka. "Why is Tezuka here?"

"He says he needs to _supervise_ me," Karin rolled her eyes, "Now that I have a cat with me."

"Can I pet Jewel?" Kikumaru asked. Karin shrugged. "If she lets you,"

Kikumaru went to pet Jewel, but being Jewel; she gave her back to Kikumaru and closed her vivid green eyes. He pouted. "She doesn't let me…"

"Let me try," Fuji went to pet her, but Jewel also refused him. Fuji laughed. "Funny cat you have, Karin-chan,"

"Thank you," Karin laughed and nudged Tezuka. "You try."

Tezuka paused, glancing at Kikumaru, Fuji and Karin, and Jewel, who was licking her paw in the desk they were all sitting around.

He sighed and extended his hand to pet her. Jewel sensed this and her ears twitched. She opened her eyes and looked up at Tezuka's hand. She then miraculously leaned into his touch and purred.

"Heh, she likes you," Karin laughed. "That's weird."

"Hnn…" Tezuka retrieved his hand but Jewel saddened her eyes and meowed. She pounced off the desk and onto his lap. She curled up into a ball and purred. Tezuka was astonished, but Karin only laughed. "She wants you to carry her."

"You speak cat now?" Tezuka took her in his arms and petted her head. Karin laughed at his comeback and faced Fuji. "I'm teaching him well, aren't I?"

"Indeed," Fuji laughed and Kikumaru pouted. "I wanted to pet her!"

It was now time for afternoon practice.

"What's her name?" the freshmen asked, huddling over Karin's arms to take a look at the elegant cat. Karin smiled. "Jewel,"

"Lovely name," Inui said scribbling in his notebook, leaning against the court's fence next to Karin and the freshmen. Karin smiled. "Thanks."

"By the way, where's Kaidoh-senpai? He's late…" Horio stated. Inui shrugged. "I guess its 20 laps around the courts for him."

"Speaking of the devil," Karin nodded over at Kaidoh, who was walking over with a slight blush on his face. He bowed and greeted them. Inui chuckled. "He's in a good mood."

"YOU CAN TELL?" the freshmen cried. Karin laughed. Jewel yawned and spotted Tezuka walking into the courts. The feline wiggled out of Karin's arms and landed gracefully on the floor. She then pounced over to Tezuka and started to rub her up-stretched back on Tezuka's leg. In response, Tezuka looked down, raised an eyebrow and let out his signature: "Hmm?"

"She's been like that all day," Karin laughed. "She has a crush on him; don't blame her though, Tezuka's pretty sexy."

"How can you talk about the buchou that way, Karin-senpai…?" the freshmen muttered. Karin rolled her eyes as Inui chuckled. "I'm a girl; that's how girls are hard-wired."

"You jealous?" Inui joked, nodding over at Tezuka who had Jewel in his arms. Karin shook her head. "Not at all; it's good to have Jewel off of me for once,"

Practice ended. Tezuka had Jewel in his arms all day, and Karin and Fuji laughed at this because he gave strict/serious order…with a happily purring cat in his arms. It was a sight to see. Echizen had skipped practice today too; Momo said it was for family reasons.

Suddenly, the freshmen trio came up to Karin and the rest of the regulars.

"Karin-senpai, you're good with animals, right?" Kachiro said as though he was scared. Karin nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"There's a raccoon in the locker rooms!" Horio said. They all followed them to the locker rooms. Karin entered the room and looked for said raccoon only to find a Himalayan spotted cat sleeping with a cat toy in his paws.

"Just a cat people, just a cat," Karin declared. At her voice, the cat's ears perked up and he lifted his head. Tezuka came in. "Is it your cat too?"

"I only have one cat dipshit," Karin told him. The Himalayan, Karupin, meowed and pounced around at the sight of Jewel in Tezuka's arms but all she did was look away and cuddle in Tezuka's chest.

Kaurpin's eyes watered but Karin smiled and petted his head. "Aren't you a cute little kitty?"

"Hey, that's Echizen's cat!" Momo pointed.

"You think they want some fish?" Kawamura offered Karupin and Jewel some fish as he walked down the sidewalks with Tezuka (Jewel still in his arms), Fuji, Momo, Oishi and Karin with Karupin in her arms.

"He doesn't look interested," Fuji said. "But Jewel looks pretty interested in Tezuka, don't you guys think?"

"I'm gonna teach her how to sexually harass Tezuka," Karin joked, making the guys laugh but made Tezuka sigh heavily. He's learned to ignore her comments.

They dropped off Taka-san at his sushi shop and Fuji got a ride from his sister, who recognized Karin immediately. If it wasn't for Tezuka, they could've talked about girl stuff for hours.

They then met Kikumaru on the way, running out of the sports shop and begging Oishi for extra cash.

When they returned Echizen's cat, Momo decided to stay.

"C'mon Jewel, we gotta go home," Karin told the cat. Jewel somehow understood and leaped from Tezuka's arms into Karin's.

Karin started to walk the opposite way down the sidewalk, away from Oishi and Tezuka. "See you guys tomorrow!" 


	20. Gotta Love Paul

Karin's eyes opened and she stretched, still lying on the bed. She yawned and grabbed her IPhone from her nightstand and pressed the button, checking the time. Her alarm clock had broken…well Jewel broke it yesterday.

"Hmm…it's 9:59 a.m.," she muttered in her sleep. "Tezuka said to assemble at the park at 10:00 a.m.…" Karin's eyes widened to the point of popping out of their sockets.

"Freakin' flying shizlets!" she cussed. "I'm so effing late!"

Meanwhile at the tennis park, Fuji Yuuta, Fuji's little brother, stood glancing at the Seigaku tennis team, though it was more of a glare than a glance.

"Putting Tezuka and Fuji aside…" said the St. Rudolph team captain Akazawa Yoshiro, to his team member Mizuki Hajime. "Do we need to keep an eye on that freshman Echizen?"

Mizuki cupped his chin. "Yes, it would be unwise to underestimate him," he chuckled. "And also the Empress of Seigaku; it would be a _very _unwise to underestimate her too."

Akazawa blinked and nodded towards Yuuta. "Mizuki…look at Yuuta…"

"Yuuta-kun, what's with that scary face, hmm?" Mizuki fueled his annoyance. He scoffed. "I came all the way to defeat him."

He meant Fuji Shusuke obviously. Mizuki chuckled. "Fear not, I'm analyzing Seigaku's playing order."

"Please do," Yuuta said. Mizuki chuckled. "Seigaku, defeat us, St. Rudolph…is impossible."

"What the hell could those two be doing?" Ryuzaki stared at her watch which read: 10:26 a.m. Karin and Echizen were late.

Fuji frowned. "If we don't register with eight people by 10:30 a.m.," he opened his eyes. "We'll be disqualified…"

The reporters, who were there, sighed. "Those two, they picked a bad day to be late…" Inoue muttered.

"Fuji," Tezuka called out. "Don't you have Mizushima's phone number?"

"I didn't bring my phone," Fuji said sadly. "Oishi's trying to contact both of them now."

"Hey!" Oishi ran over at the moment. "I contacted Echizen and Karin-chan!"

"What did they say?" Kaidoh asked. Oishi smiled. "Echizen said he was helping a pregnant lady get to the hospital and Karin-chan said she was abducted by aliens this morning and she was trying to get the probe out of her—I didn't get the rest, she hung up after that."

"Lies, lies and lies," Inui chuckled. Ryuzaki sighed. "If we wait for those goofballs we won't meet the deadline," she started to walk over to her bag. "Those two will get their scolding later…but we're going to have to register somehow…"

She zipped open the bag and pulled out two white hats that said SEIGAKU on it. She walked over to the freshmen, put one on Horio and then to the reporters and put one on Shiba's head. Ryuzaki turned to the regulars. "Kaidoh, Tezuka; lend me your jerseys."

"Number 128, Seigaku," jersey-less Tezuka said to the referee, who was at the sign-up table. "Please register the eight of us."

The referee smiled. "I'll confirm your position; you will play five games in the first round; you need to play at least three games to move on."

Tezuka nodded. "Yes."

"In order to qualify for the Kantou Regional Tournament, you need to be within the top five," the referee kept explaining. Horio and Shiba kept looking doing, to avoid everyone's glances. They were both trembling at the thought of being exposed.

The referee finished explaining the rules and glanced at his clipboard. His eyes widened. "Seigaku has a freshman _and_ a girl player?" he said, surprised. Shiba and Horio winced and so did the regulars and the other Seigaku members. The referee caught glance of them and smiled.

"Aren't you two lucky to be on Seigaku's team?" the referee said. Horio thought quickly. "Ma-Mada mada dane!" he stammered.

The referee blinked and looked over at Shiba with a weak smile. "And your comment, Mizushima-san?"

Shiba raised her glance, and said the first thing she figured Karin would say at that situation. She tipped the cap over her eyes nervously. "T-Tezuka, you retard!"

Tezuka sighed and the referee laughed timidly. "Well aren't you…something? Good luck to you two."

"Don't kill me Tezuka-san, I didn't mean it honestly!" Shiba hid behind Inoue, crying comically in fear. Tezuka merely sighed.

"So you overslept too huh?" Karin said to Echizen as they ran down the park side by side. They coincidently bumped into each other on their way there.

"Yeah, what was your excuse?" he asked breathlessly. Karin rolled her eyes. "Damn myself for watching _Paul_ last night; the only thing that popped into my head was aliens and anal probes."

"Ha, nice one Karin-senpai," Echizen laughed. "It's a funny movie by the way; I saw it at the theatre by my house in New York City."

Karin pouted. "Oh shut up!" she then smiled. "I know right? It's so freaking funny; I have it on DVD, I could lend it to you if you want."

They ran past a guy, Mizuki, leaning against a fence. "You two are quite the troublemakers, being late on such an important day…Echizen-kun and Seigaku's Empress."

They both stopped and turned to the boy. Echizen was about to ask who he was but Karin put a hand over his mouth. "Look dude, you're cute and all but Tezuka's gonna get pissy and start throwing microwaves at us; especially me, so bye!" Karin grabbed Echizen's arm and dragged him through the park, leaving Mizuki dumbstruck.

"Did she…?" he blushed, but in an embarrassed way, "call me cute?"

"Mizushima! Echizen!" Tezuka spotted them running over. Karin and Echizen arrived, gasping for air. "Where have you two—!"

"Oh chill your nipples Ka-zu-te, we're here," Karin said, taking a deep breathe. Tezuka sighed as the team snickered at her remark. "Echizen, get ready; you're up next,"

"Yes," Echizen took off his jersey, took out his racquet from his bag and walked into the court, facing his opponent.

Karin sat down on the bench next to Fuji, Momo and Kikumaru and sighed. She unzipped her bag and pulled out a bowl and spoon.

"Um…what are you doing?" Fuji asked. Karin pouted. "I didn't eat breakfast…" she pulled out a normal-sized box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch from her bag. "I'm gonna eat cereal," she turned to Inui. "You got milk on ya?"

"Of course," he went to the cooler and tossed her a glass of milk. After pouring cereal into the bowl, she poured the milk and dunked in the spoon. She ate the spoonful of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, chewed, swallowed and smiled. "So am I gonna play or what?"


	21. Welcome to Tokyo!

"Ahh, Ryoma-kun's match ended!" Shiba pouted with video camera in hand and Inoue running behind her. Karin finished her third bowl of cereal. "Yeah just now, why?"

"Aww, I brought my video camera for a reason you know!" Shiba cried and Inoue sighed and smiled weakly. "Shiba-san, you'll get your chance…"

The loudspeaker on the park announced the following match. "Seigaku's singles 1 player step into the courts,"

"Mizushima, stop eating and get in the courts, it's your turn," Tezuka told her. She almost choked on the cereal. "Isn't singles 1 your slot?"

Ryuzaki took the bowl from her hands. "We switched up the order a bit, get out there."

The other major schools in the park, hearing 'Seigaku's singles 1 player' on the loudspeaker, already assumed it was Tezuka Kunimitsu playing.

"Tezuka's finally playing huh?" St. Rudolph muttered, standing by the fence. Yamabuki Junior High and other schools stood by as well; making the perimeter of the court packed with people. Hyotei Gakuen's captain, Atobe Keigo, smirked. "Tezuka's playing huh…?" his smirk faded when he spotted Tezuka calmly sitting on the benches outside the court. He blinked and realized a girl was coming into the courts.

"So Ka-zu-te, why'd you dump this match on my ass?" she asked. He glared at her but remained silent. She sighed. "Silent treatment huh, alright then…"

"You're not Tezuka," the boy she was going up against said to her when she approached the net. Karin's jaw fell to the ground. "No freakin' shit I'm not Tezuka!" Karin rolled her eyes and pointed at Tezuka. "Do I really look like that douche? Because last time I checked, he doesn't have blue eyes and a vagina!" Karin paused. "Well…let's not say I _checked_, that's just creepy; let's just say I _know_, alright; common sense."

The boy had the biggest dumbstruck face ever, leaving Karin to raise her eyebrow. "What's with the face?"

"He's not used to your language, Karin-chan!" Fuji said to her and Karin laughed. "Figures," Karin smiled. "This dude took the biggest mental shit ever, no kidding; it's like he's never heard the word: vagina or douche or—"

"Mizushima-san," the referee tried his best to keep his laughter from spilling. Karin laughed. "Sorry, go ahead."

As the referee explained Karin looked around the park, glancing at all the people watching around the perimeter of the court. They could've left, since Tezuka wasn't playing, but this girl, known to them as the Empress of Seigaku caught their attention with her shameless speaking habits.

As soon the as the referee finished, the two took their places on the court.

"One set match! Seigaku's Mizushima to serve!" the referee said.

Karin cracked her back and took out a tennis ball from her pocket. She bounced it on the court a few times and was about to toss it in the air when incredibly loud music came from her bag on the benches. Karin turned to glance at the bench, where the team happened to be standing behind and then started to smile when she realized it was her phone with her new ringtone.

"_Welcome to Tokyo, being glad that you are here. We came visiting, delightful us; welcome to Tokyo!_" the phone sang. "_There is a zone of subtropical climate here in Tokyo, with 55 inches a month of rainfall every year!_"

"_Phineas and Ferb_? Really, Karin-senpai?" Ryoma smirked, drinking a can of PONTA. Karin laughed and walked over to the bag. "Shut up, I love _Phineas and Ferb_," she grabbed the phone and answered.

"_Hello?_" she said this in English; force of habit. There was a long pause and she scoffed. "No, I'm not this 'Yuki' you speak of," she laughed. "Nah, it's alright, don't worry!" she hung up and tossed the phone to Tezuka. "Here, play _Tap-Tap _or something…"

"Welcome to Tokyo?" asked Karin's opponent as she approached the court. "That's so disrespectful."

"Dude, I respect everyone; but that's what I seriously thought I was going to see when I arrived at the Tokyo airport; little anime girls singing that song with tempura and sushi all over the place," Karin told him. "But that didn't happen so my dreams were once again shoved up an eagle's anal so let's leave it like that…"

She walked over to the baseline and bounced the tennis ball up and down. She fixed her white Adidas cap on her head and smirked at him. "Judging by your reaction to my ringtone; you're Japanese right?"

"Yes," the boy crouched down, getting into serious mode. Karin smiled.

She tossed the ball over her head and shot the famous Japanese Twist Serve, getting gasps and mumbles from the crowd. Her eyes gleamed with that spark. "Let's get this party started hmm?"

"You could've finished that match in five minutes, Mizushima!" Tezuka scolded her. She sat on the bench, drinking Snapple that he bought her a few moments ago. "Why do you get distracted so easily?"

"I can't help it Ka-zu-te! I'm like this!" Karin whined. "I least I beat that dude!"

"_Ar~n_? Don't be yelling at this beautiful girl," said a voice. The team looked over and the Hyotei Gakuen tennis team before them. The owner of the voice smirked at Karin and walked over, brushing past Tezuka and taking Karin's hand, gently kissing it. He winked. "Atobe Keigo, Hyotei Gakuen's captian," he greeted. "May ore-sama have the humble honor of knowing your name?"

"Mizushima Karin," she said, taking her hand back from his. He smirked. "Beautiful name, my dear," he smirked. "Beautiful eyes you have as well…Karin-chan…" he purred out her name.

"Are you hitting on me or is that just your dipshitty self?" Karin blinked with a bored expression on her face. He placed a hand over his heart dramatically. "Ore-sama is insulted; all ore-sama is trying to do is be friends!"

"Atobe-san," Tezuka stepped forward. "Don't you have something you should be doing?"

The narcissistic teenager looked over and smirked. "_Ar~n_? Protective of your empress, aren't we, Tezuka-san?"

"Problem?" Tezuka questioned. Atobe's smirk faded and he scoffed. "Not at all," he smirked at Karin and waved at her, walking away with his team. When they were out of earshot, Karin wiped the back of her hand on Tezuka's jersey. "What a douche bag…"

Later on that day, again, Karin wasn't playing for most of the day and neither was Tezuka. She wasn't complaining this time though; it gave her time to eat more cereal and fill up her belly. Inui started to get suspicious of something though, and Karin noticed.

"What's wrong?" Karin asked when she saw Inui walking back from who knows where. Karin, along with the team, was sitting by a fountain. Karin was on her third Snapple, all thanks to the team's stoic captain.

Inui sighed and faced Tezuka. "Tezuka, beware of St. Rudolph."

"What's this about?" Tezuka blinked. Inui let out a breath of air. "They'll do _anything_ to win."


	22. The Cute Guy

There was a crowd of people around the courts where Fudomine was playing. Karin decided to watch along with Echizen, Momo, Sakuno, her friend Tomoka and the reporters (Shiba's fussing with her camera).

Fudomine won and the crowds started to cheer. Karin jumped up and down. "Go Fudomine!" she cried out. "Kick some mega anal!"

Tachibana and the team looked over. The captain smiled and waved. Karin smiled and waved too.

"You're really something, Karin-senpai!" Momo laughed. Karin punched him in the arm playfully. "Don't talk to your senpai like that, Momo-chan."

"I mean it in a good way,"

"Oh, ok then," Karin rolled her eyes with a smile.

Meanwhile, Yamabuki's Sengoku Kiyosumi sat on top of a roof that provided shade for some benches. He looked around and grinned. "Ahh, there's some good teams here today! Fudo Junior High won and everything!" he then pouted. "But the girls' matches are held on a different court...sucks, my horoscope said I'd be lucky with the girls today…"

His eyes widened when he saw a girl, in the Seigaku tennis team uniform, walking side by side with two other Seigaku tennis team members, one of them being Echizen Ryoma, the freshman that hit him in the face with a tennis ball about a week ago.

He jumped off the roof and got in their path. He grinned. "Lucky! You're a pretty girl!"

"Dude, hormones are going off the freaking charts today…" Karin mumbled under her breathe. "Thanks, I guess…"

Sengoku then glanced at Ryoma. "Thanks for the other day," he pointed his finger on his forehead. "Knocked me out,"

Sakuno and Tomoka, who were with them, apparently knew what he was talking about, but Ryoma, considering his usual amnesia for things non-important to him, was completely dumbstruck.

"You know this dude?" Karin asked, but the freshman shook his head. "This is the first time I meet him."

"Hey, hey; don't say it like that…" Sengoku said and beamed at Karin. "Name's Sengoku Kiyosumi of Yamabuki, nice to meet you," he said. "You must be the Empress of Seigaku?"

"That's what everyone's calling me," Karin shrugged.

"Mizushima-san," said a cheerful voice. They all turned to see Kamio and his friend Shinji. Karin waved. "Hey! You can call me Karin; don't be so fancy."

"Ok Karin-chan," Kamio grinned. Momo chuckled. "Now you're up against Hyotei Gakuen right?"

"Wait, Hyotei Gakuen?" Karin said. Kamio nodded. "Yeah,"

"There's a douche on that team called Atobe Keigo, kick his ass for me please; slap his face off for all I care."

"What did he do Karin-chan?" Shinji asked. "Did he hurt you…that'd be just plain mean if he did that…I only hurt you eye and it was an accident—"

"The jerk was hitting on me," Karin shuddered. "Eww,"

"Ha, don't worry; we'll kick his ass for you." Kamio laughed.

"Kamio, Shinji," Tachibana walked over. "Let's start heading out."

"Hey, Tachibana!" Karin waved. He smiled. "Hello, Karin-chan," he turned to leave, but looked over his shoulder. "Pass on a message to Tezuka; tell him we'll be meeting at the finals."

"Meaning: tell Tezuka you're gonna shove your shoe up his ass in the finals; alright I'll tell him," Karin smirked. Tachibana returned the gesture. "You're funny Karin-chan," and with that, Fudomine walked away.

Fuji leaned on a pole with his signature grin on his adorable features, while Karin sat on the benches nearby. Tezuka was at the soda machines getting two Snapples; he wanted to try this so called "Heaven in a Glass Bottle"; as Karin called it.

"Here," Tezuka sat down next to her. Karin was focused on her IPhone, playing _Tap-Tap Revenge 3 _and didn't take her eyes off the screen. "Open it for me, please?"

"Hnn…" he popped it open and handed it to her. She miraculously finished the round and got a 100% score. She took it. "Thank you, Ka-zu-te,"

"Ah…" he popped open his Snapple and Karin scanned him with his eyes with every ounce of shock and surprise she could exhibit. "What the hell; you're gonna drink one?"

He didn't answer her, for her was drinking the peach iced tea. It was pretty good, he had to admit. Karin smirked. "I knew I would hook you up on Snapple at some point."

"Seigaku regulars; gather around!" Ryuzaki called out. The team stood before her. She smirked. "We're playing St. Rudolph in the quarterfinals, so if we win, we get ourselves a ticket to the Kantou Tournament," she held up a clipboard. "This is the line-up:

"Singles 1: Tezuka; Singles 2: Karin; Singles 3: Echizen; Doubles 1: Oishi and Kikumaru, and Doubles 2: Momoshiro and Kaidoh."

"DOUBLES?" the junior rivals cried. They pointed at each other. "WITH HIM?"

"Now, now; all you have to do is chase a ball around on a court; no need to rip each other's faces off," Karin said slowly.

Inui opened his notebook, ignoring the situation. "St. Rudolph is a lot stronger this year; their Captain is still around; he's a very strong player, he beat a regular last year," Inui glanced at Fuji. "I'm also worried about Yuuta-kun; Fuji's younger brother; he's been trained to attack left-handed players. They've been calling him the Left-Handed Killer, and I've heard he's going after his older brother."

"But I'm not even left-handed," Fuji shrugged. Inui nodded. "Yeah, but he can be going after Tezuka or Echizen or Karin-chan,"

"Shit, that dude's gonna kill me and sell my uterus in the black market," Karin shuddered. "These Rudolph guys have these types of people just hanging around; damn it Shusuke, put your brother on a leash, man."

"Anyway, they're manager is controlling everything that happens within the team," Inui continued. "He's a pretty tough opponent."

"Oh dear…" Mizuki raised his eyebrows, glancing at the Seigaku line-up order. Yuuta blinked and frowned. "What's the problem?"

"Looks like your opponent isn't in the Singles 3 slot…he's not playing at all," Mizuki informed him. Yuuta scoffed. "Great,"

"But you are going up against Echizen Ryoma, please do beat him." Mizuki smirked. Yuuta shrugged. "Whatever," and with that, he walked away. Mizuki chuckled as the captain came up to him. "You knew he wasn't going to be playing against Fuji, right?"

"Of course," Mizuki said. "I'm not going to let him play Fuji, even if he really wants too. It's all part of my scenario."

"What _is_ your scenario?" the captain sighed with a small smirk. "You're one scary guy, Mizuki."

Mizuki chuckled darkly. "Instead of putting our best players at the top, we're putting them at the bottom, therefore we win the first matches and sacrifice the remaining ones; it's a win-win situation where we win both ways." Mizuki pointed at the clipboard. "And for precaution, I placed myself in the Singles 2 slot,"

"But that's where that Empress of Seigaku is; I've heard she's good," the captain rose a brow, but Mizuki merely twirled a lock of his raven black hair with his fingers. "Oh please, she's a girl; she can't be _that _good."

Karin set her bag down on the bench where their match against St. Rudolph will be. She faced Fuji. "You're not mad that you're not playing?" Karin rolled her eyes. "I would be so pissed off."

"Don't worry Karin-chan; I need a rest from playing all day; all you've been doing is eating and drinking Snapple," Fuji laughed. Karin pushed him playfully. "Be quite, I was hungry."

The playing team members face their opponents at the net. Karin scanned the players with her ocean blue eyes and stopped at the captain.

"Oh my god, are you Japanese?" she asked. The captain looked over and nodded. "Yes,"

"But you're black," Karin was indeed bug-eyed in surprise. "Are you entirely Japanese or are you half African-American or something?"

Ryoma let out a snicker at her blatant question to a captain and Tezuka, knowing Karin far too well, knew what was coming.

"No, just Japanese," Akazawa, the captain, said. Karin shrugged. "Heh, well I'll be damned," she laughed. "Time to play tennis with a black Japanese guy; now it's a party!"

"You think he hates me now?" Karin whispered to Ryoma as they walked to the benches. He shook his head. "Mada mada dane, Karin-senpai,"

Karin rolled her eyes and she caught glance of the guy she'd seen when she was running into the park with Echizen and called cute. He was pretty adorable, and being Karin, she was going to let the world know.

"Hey, you're that dude!" she pointed at Mizuki, making everyone look over at him. He looked over and blinked. Karin dashed over and ruffled his hair. "You're that cute guy! Can I hug you?"

"Wha…?" Mizuki stuttered. He'd never been in this type of situation before. Karin shrugged and hugged him. "You're funny, see ya," she then dashed to her team, where Fuji and Kikumaru laughed at her foolishness. Mizuki was dumbstruck.

"Dane! You're so lucky! Getting hugged by a girl like that!" Yanagisawa Shinya said to Mizuki, who was blushing slightly and twirling his hair with his finger. Mizuki scoffed. "Oh shut up and focus; you're up to play."


	23. The Two Longest Doubles Matches

First up was Momo and Kaidoh doing doubles. Those two got into an almost-fight on the court.

"Have they always been like this?" Karin asked. Oishi nodded. "Yes, even before Echizen joined the team."

"Wow," the freshmen said in awe.

"Inui, show it to them!" Kikumaru beamed. Inui took out a small photo album and opened it, showing freshman Kaidoh and Momo. Karin cooed. "Aww; they're so cute!" she pointed at the album. "Do you have a picture of Tezuka?"

Tezuka's head perked up at his name. Inui nodded and flipped a few pages and showed Karin the picture. Karin almost cried from cuteness. "Awww!"

"Inui, you're running fifty laps around the courts when we get back," Tezuka snatched the album from his hands, closing it. Inui smirked. "No problem,"

"You were so adorable!" Karin poked his cheek. "I swear; I would've raped you!"

"What about me? I was cute when I was a freshman," Fuji chuckled. Karin swayed her hand. "Oh please, you and I both know you would've raped me first."

The match with Kaidoh and Momo started off well but then Kaidoh and Momo started to bicker and lose points. The St. Rudolph pair apparently knew about Kaidoh's snake and kept waiting for it, but Kaidoh realized this and kept the snake to himself.

They kept playing. Kaidoh found it hard to not do the snake, since that's what their opponents were aiming for. It's been at least forty minutes; it's no surprise if they were exhausted. The game score was currently 5-2 games, St. Rudolph leading.

Suddenly, Momo got a serious point from St. Rudolph.

"Now I'm raging…" he muttered. He looked over his shoulder at Kaidoh. "Are you gonna use 'it', Kaidoh?"

"Shut up," Kaidoh spat, but he made his usual snake-like face, stood at the baseline, even though he wasn't receiver and swayed from side to side.

Fuji smiled. "He's getting serious,"

When Yanagisawa served, Kaidoh stayed in place and Momo took the shot for him. He then started to head for the net. Kisarazu Atsushi, Yanagisawa's partner, returned the ball, realizing Momo left the other half of the court empty; but little did they know, Momo wasn't going to take that shot.

Kaidoh finally moved from his position and made the stance. The St. Rudolph pair thought it was the snake but they were wrong. Kaidoh returned it, making it curve around the pole, under the referee seat and hit in the court.

The entire court was silent; you could hear a pin fall; but of course, Karin had to break tension.

"_Welcome to Tokyo, being glad that you are here. We came visiting, delightful us; welcome to Tokyo!_" Karin's phone started to sing. "_There is a zone of subtropical climate here in Tokyo, with 55 inches a month of rainfall every year!_" She growled and started to shuffle for her phone in her bag.

"If it's that dude asking for Yuki again, I'm gonna start flipping some tables!" Karin found her phone and walked a few feet away from the court and answered the phone in the process.

Everyone was dumbstruck at the _excellent_ timing Karin's phone happened to have but continued the match.

During the game however, Kisarazu hit a lob by accident, even though Mizuki clearly warned them about that. Momo took the chance ball, jumped in the air and did his powerful dunk smash but with _a lot_ more power. The score now became 5-3.

Like always, Kaidoh and Momo kept on bickering. Kisazuru and Yanagisawa however, decided to do their secret back-up plan. Kisazuru gestured to make a shot for the middle of the court but then drastically changed the course of the ball to Kaidoh's side, forcing him to use the Boomerang snake. But when he did, Kisazuru was right at the pole and returned the ball.

But with Momo's balance and expert timing, he jumped into the air to do his famous dunk smash. Nevertheless, Yanagisawa was at the wrong place at the wrong time. The dunk smash hit him straight in the face, sending him flying in the air and landing on the floor, knocked out.

"What I miss?" Karin came back at the moment. She watched Yanagisawa's partner run over to him, along with Momo, Ryuzaki and the referee. Karin flailed her arms. "What I miss?"

"He got hit with Momoshiro's dunk smash," Oishi told her. Karin whistled. "Damn! Getting bitch-slapped with a dunk smash by Momo isn't pretty…"

"Who were you talking too anyway?" Fuji asked. Karin sighed irritably. "One of my friends from America; she was asking me why Rhode Island is called Rhode Island when it isn't an island; it's like asking why guys have nipples…" she paused. "Why _do_ guys have nipples; is that necessary?"

Momo and Kaidoh ended up winning the match since Yanagisawa was unable to continue. Up next was the Golden Pair vs. Akasawa and Kaneda.

They were losing very badly, the Golden Pair. The St. Rudolph team was just too powerful, they kept attacking Kikumaru; knowing he had very low stamina. Also, that captain Akasawa was doing some weird shot that makes the tennis ball look like they're multiplying.

Karin rubbed her eyes. "It hurts your eyes."

"You can see it too?" Echizen asked. Karin nodded. "I can see it; it's annoying; it strains your eyes a lot."

"Imagine what it's doing to Eiji," Inui said. "The ability he has to distinguish moving objects is uncommonly high, meaning he'll subconsciously try to chase after all the balls."

"Freaking black-ass Japanese dude!" Karin growled. "That's not fair!"

Oishi then got serious and started to do his best and signature move: the Moon Volley.

"Cool," Karin said.

Oishi kept using the Moon Volley until the score was 2-2. Then they started to do the Australian Formation; something that they've been working on for a long time.

Suddenly, Akasawa got really mad because Oishi and Kikumaru read him too easily and let out the biggest scream on his life. Once he finished, he let out a sigh.

Karin's head perked up. "Mental shit, much?" Fuji, Inui and Echizen let out a snicker. Tezuka rolled his eyes.

Akasawa, still pretty mad, let it out on his partner and Kaneda got mad as well.

"Akasawa, you bastard, they're attacking us as a pair!" he cried. "This is a doubles match! Not singles! You idiot!"

"Flip a table bro!" Karin cried out to him. "Throw the cute guy at him! Kick his ass!"

"What are you saying Kaneda? Do you know who you're talking too?" Akasawa shot back. Karin laughed. "Rip each other's faces off! C'mon—!" Tezuka stopped her statement by putting his hand over her mouth. Karin's speech was muffled until she decided to lick his hand.

"Ah," Tezuka grunted in disgust. He wiped his hand on his jersey at Karin wiped her tongue on her sleeve. "That's what happens when you put your hand over my mouth, retard."

After both of them cooled off, they went back to the match. Kaneda actually knew what Australian Formation was and returned the ball in the empty space Oishi and Kikumaru left in the middle of the court but it hit out.

Kikumaru stopped moving at some point because he's lost too much stamina, so Oishi was left to cover the entire court. The score was 6-5, St. Rudolph leading; it was so painful to watch.

"Te-heh-heh-Tezuka!" Karin cried, tugging on his jersey. "Use your unicorn powers to make them win!"

"Mizushima, let go of me," he said calmly, but a hint of annoyance was hidden in his tone.

Suddenly, Oishi made a lob by mistake and Akasawa made a jumping smash, but Kikumaru ran in and took the point.

"Yay! Ka-zu-te has unicorn powers!" Karin jumped up and down happily. Tezuka sighed irritably and Fuji chuckled. "Tezuka, where's your unicorn horn?"

The Golden Pair started to take the lead. Mizuki was seriously annoyed and even more so that Karin kept enraging him by calling him cute. He knew he was cute, but he didn't need his enemy telling him that.

"Game and match, St. Rudolph," the referee said. Karin looked down sadly. "Fodoodles…"

"Sorry, sensei…" Oishi said sadly, walking over to Ryuzaki with Kikumaru's arm over his shoulders. Ryuzaki smiled. "You two did great, don't worry."


	24. Shusuke's Little Brother

Next up was singles 3: Echizen Ryoma vs. Fuji Yuuta.

After Ryoma provoked Yuuta, like always, the match started.

Echizen started to lose some points at the beginning. Karin smiled. "Your brother's strong," she told Fuji.

"Yeah, he is," he said. "His Rising Shot has improved greatly too."

"What's Rising Shot?" Tomo-chan and Sakuno asked. Karin smiled at them. "I used that move when I did the match with Shusuke to become a regular; it's when you hit the ball the moment it bounces, so it gives the opponent less time to react."

"Cool," Tomo-chan said and started to cheer for Ryoma loudly.

Echizen was in a bit of a struggle, since his Twist Serve was completely ineffective against Yuuta and his Rising Shot or 'Super Rising'.

But then Ryoma started to make his comeback and caught up to Yuuta in no time.

"He used to be in Seigaku but he was transferred to St. Rudolph after six months," Inui explained. Karin sighed. "He didn't want to get compared to Shusuke, right?"

"Yeah," Oishi nodded. Karin raised her eyebrows. "Figures; he has a mega shit-face on, and not the shit-face as in drunk shit-face but the 'oh my god, there's a naked old lady with saggy boobs crossing the street' kind of shit-face," the team chuckled as Karin shrugged.

Suddenly, after being pushed back by Echizen, Yuuta made a weird stance. It struck confusion through everyone watching. When he hit the ball, he hit it with a weird spin that made the ball shoot upwards powerfully, making it get stuck in the fence above.

"That's the…" Fuji trailed off. Karin's mouth gapped. "The Twist Spin Shot!"

Yuuta kept using the Twist Spin Shot. Echizen tried to return it various times but failed to do so. He also tried to return it with the Super Rising itself, but the racquet was off and it hit the fence behind Yuuta.

Echizen tried using the Super Rising against the Twist Spin Shot once again and it hit out, but only by a bit.

"He's so awesome," Karin snickered. Momo laughed. "He sure is!"

"Hey, you shouldn't use the Twist—whatever too much," Echizen told Yuuta. Fuji blinked and Karin's breathe hitched. Ryuzaki bit her lip. "He noticed…?"

"He noticed?" Mizuki clenched his teeth. "How; it's not possible…!"

After Echizen served, Yuuta hit the Rising Shot. After Echizen returned it, Yuuta made the stance for the Twist Spin Shot and hit the ball. Ryoma however, was smirking all the way and ran lightning-fast towards the ball.

That's weird…if he doesn't slow down; he'll get there before the ball bounces, Karin thought. Her eyes then widened when she saw Ryoma slide on the court, _under_ the ball. He then jumped and hit the ball high in the air.

He added a spin to the ball however and the ball came back onto the court and bounced in the shape of a B. Everyone started to cheer at the new move. He smirked. "Drive B,"

"Drive B?" Karin grinned from ear to ear. "That's so cool!"

"No copying, Karin-chan," Inui joked. Karin pouted. "Shut up, Sadaharu-chan,"

After this, Echizen started to make his comeback and win points.

"Game, Seigaku; 5 games to 4! Change courts!"

"Karin-chan," Fuji called Karin softly, almost a whisper. Karin looked over to see her friend with his usually close-eye-grin expression. She shrugged. "What is it?"

"I think you should start warming up; you're next to play," he told her, again, almost a whisper. He gave her a crooked smile and opened his eyes. "I'll help you."

Karin knew something was up with him. She shrugged and picked up her racquet. "Ok, let's go."

Fuji picked up his own racquet and the two walked off. Tezuka pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and watched them walk off from the corner of his eye. He somehow knew what the tennis prodigy was going to tell the Empress.


	25. SHE

"Game and match, Seigaku; 6 games to 4!"

Everyone cheered as Echizen smirked and put on his cap, which had fallen off of his head due to the Drive B. He shook hands with Yuuta and walked back to the courts.

"Good job, Echizen!" Momo said to him as he put his racquet away in his bag. He smirked. "Mada mada dane, Momo-senpai," he then blinked. "Where's Fuji-senpai and Karin-senpai? Isn't Karin-senpai playing next?"

"Fuji's helping Mizushima warm up," Tezuka told him and he nodded. "Good job, Echizen."

"Thanks," was all he said.

At the moment, Fuji and Karin appeared at the scene. Tezuka glanced over. "Mizushima, you're playing next."

"I know," she let out a sigh.

"Singles 2, step onto the courts!" the referee called. Karin glanced at Fuji and gave him a thumbs-up. He smiled weakly and nodded. All his hopes were on this troublemaking goofball.

"Well, you're cute as ever," Karin grinned as she walked onto the court. Mizuki frowned. "Can you stop that?"

"I think you like being called cute," she pinched his cheek, making him blush in embarrassment. His team members snickered and Karin smiled. "You're adorable."

"We'll see about that," Mizuki mumbled.

"About what?" Karin blinked. Mizuki smirked a twirled a lock of his hair with his finger. "Oh nothing…" Mizuki had already made the perfect strategy to win. Since she has that Royal Play of hers, it's practically impossible to beat her, but he does know that it tires her out a lot because of the concentration and precision she needs to have in order to make her Royal Play work; so all he needs to do is tire her out by making her run around the court excessively, much like Kaidoh Kaoru does it, so she can tire herself out _before_ she even gets to put on the bright red cap of hers. He'll win easily; he knows where all her weak points are.

Karin furrowed her eyebrows. _Man, this guy's a douche… _she thought to herself. _I can see why Shusuke has a grudge against him…besides doing what he did to Yuuta-kun... _She remembered her conversation with Shusuke a few minutes ago.

**After a few minutes of walking, Karin stopped in her tracks in a deserted space where empty benches sat. "Shusuke; something tells me this isn't about warming up."**

**Fuji stopped and let his bangs cover his eyes. He remained silent for a few moments before turning to Karin. "You know…you know what that move can do to my brother right?"**

"**Of course; that move's dangerous as hell; if he doesn't get his shoulder hardened, he'll break it."**

"**Exactly," Fuji clenched his teeth. "You know who taught him the move, Karin-chan?"**

"**The cute guy, right? Mizuki?"**

"**Yeah; don't call him cute by the way; he's anything **_**but**_** cute,"**

**Karin laughed and patted Fuji on the back. She knew he was in an awful mood. "I just do that to piss him off,"**

"**Karin-chan," Fuji said, almost a whisper. Karin blinked as Fuji locked glanced with her. "Beat that bastard; I don't care how, just do."**

"**Of course," Karin grinned. "But…you have to do something for me."**

"**I don't have money for Snapple, Karin-chan," he let out a chuckle. Karin rolled her eyes and held up her racquet. "I don't have time to experiment on Mizuki with this new serve, so I need you to help me."**

_Let's see how much you really know about me you dipstick,_ Karin smirked.

"One set match, Mizushima to serve," the referee declared. Karin pulled the highlighter yellow tennis ball from her pocket and bounced it a couple times on the green pavement. She looked over and tossed the ball over her head and, hopping centimeters from the ground, she served it.

_Ah, the American Twist Serve from the start…? _Mizuki thought smugly, running towards it. He could tell; she did the serve with her right hand. He knew that at some point she would have to switch to her dominant hand, for this match would eventually be in the favor of Mizuki.

"So naïve…" he muttered and shot the curving serve right back. Karin's eyes widened when the ball shot past her and onto the court. "Love-15,"

Karin sighed. "Just as I thought; you knew that a use the American Twist…" Karin said to no one in particular. Mizuki raised an eyebrow, for this wasn't the reaction he'd expect from her.

She shrugged and walked over to the baseline. She switched her racquet to her left hand. Mizuki plastered a smirk on his features. _Like I said, eventually…_ His smirk faded however, when she walked past the baseline and practically leaned on the fence behind her.

Mizuki blinked. _What's she doing? She's at least three or four feet away from the baseline!_

Karin smirked and took the ball in her right hand. She then tossed it in _front of her_, so the ball was practically tossed a little before the baseline. She then sprung into action, she took two short steps and started to slide on her feet under the now sinking ball; she then hopped and hit the ball high in the air. It looked as if it would go out but it curved downwards and hit inside the service box and from there, made the shape…of a B. The serve was lightning fast.

Mizuki was in utter shock and so was his team. Seigaku was in shock too, except for Fuji. Echizen pouted. "_Oh c'mon…_" he muttered in English but smirked; for it was a good move.

"The Brazilian Twist Serve…" she grinned, "is what I'm gonna call that."

"Brazilian Twist Serve?" the freshmen trio said. "Drive B in a serving version…" Horio grinned. "Karin-senpai's awesome!" The Seigaku team cheered as Karin, who was now at the baseline took off her white hat and tossed it to Ryuzaki on the bench.

"Sumire-chan," she smirked at her coach. "I'm not gonna waste any time with this cute dipshit; get me my red hat."

_Impossible!_ Mizuki's hand started to tremble, making his racquet shake. _This isn't how it's supposed to be!_

Fuji closed his eyes and smiled truthfully.

Karin adjusted her bright red cap on her head and smirked. "Mizuki-chan," she said and spun the yellow tennis ball on her finger; her racquet in her right hand. "You don't know _shit_ about me." Karin tossed the ball and hit her serve. It spun in the service box and then shot up to Mizuki's face and went over his shoulder.

"Japanese Twist Serve!" the freshmen trio cried happily.

"15-30," the referee said. Karin served again. Mizuki was still in shock and made a weak return. Karin approached the ball and her pupils enlarged and then shrunk. Like a sniper scope, she pinpointed the spot just behind his heel and returned. He almost lost his balance.

"15-40,"

Karin glanced at Fuji and gave him a wide smile, mouthing the word: 'she'. Fuji nodded and mouthed the word as well. It's actually a code they invented prior to all this called S.H.E.

"**Finally!" Karin collapsed on the court and let out a heavy sigh. "That was freakin' hard!"**

"**But you did it Karin-chan," Fuji helped her up. Karin had just perfected the Brazilian Twist Serve, using Echizen's Drive B as a base. She perfected it in only a few minutes of practicing with Fuji.**

"**By the way, Shusuke," Karin inquired. "How do you want me to beat Mizuki?" she smirked. "Let him win a couple and nail him at the end or—"**

"**I don't care how Karin-chan, just do it," he gave her his signature grin. Karin smirked evilly. "How about I beat him with S.H.E.?"**

"**S.H.E.?" Fuji tilted his head in confusion. "What's that?"**

"**It's a code that my weird brain came up with just now," Karin smiled. "S stands for Surprise; H stands for Humiliation and E stands for Embarrassment."**

**Fuji opened his eyes and stared at her for a few minutes before laughing. "This is one reason why you're my best friend Karin-chan."**

The S in S.H.E. was already completed; Karin surprised him with the Brazilian Twist Serve.

"Game, Seigaku, 3 games to love."

Mizuki served. Karin pinpointed an uncomfortable location and returned the ball there. Mizuki clenched his teeth and lobbed the ball, for he had no other choice. Karin jumped in the air and smashed the ball between his legs but when it bounced it hit in his…well…

He swallowed the groan he wanted to let out and fell on his butt on the floor, holding his nether regions. Karin smirked. _H for Humiliation…check!_

The Seigaku team snickered and Tezuka rolled his eyes. Fuji opened his eyes with a smile. _H for Humiliation…check!_

Echizen, who was sitting under a tree sipping a can of PONTA, realized that the Hyotei Gakuen team was walking over to the courts where Karin and Mizuki's match was being held.

Atobe Keigo chuckled. "I knew she was good," Atobe glanced at Kabaji. "Kabaji, remember her."

"Yes," he responded quickly. Shishido Ryo balanced his racquet on his finger. "That St. Rudolph guy's such an idiot!"

"Game and match, Seigaku 6 games to love!" the referee declared. Mizuki fell to his knees and scowled. "This wasn't supposed to happen! It's impossible!"

Karin smiled and jumped around on the court. "Ha, ha, I won~! And you didn't~!" she sang, making Mizuki blush and frown at the same time. Fuji and Karin's minds were somehow linked together. _E for Embarrassment…check and mate! _

The Seigaku members started to cheer loudly. Shiba pulled out her camera and began snapping pictures. She caught Karin doing her victory dance in one picture; in the other she was smiling at the camera and in the last one she was tackled by the Seigaku Tennis Team.

"Hey, who's the strongest at carrying things here?" Karin asked the team, walking over the nearby benches. Kikumaru made a thinking face. "Umm…I think Taka-san and Momo-chan are strong enough to carry things why?"

Karin slumped face first on the bench and groaned. "Someone's gonna have to carry me because I can't feel any of my body parts…"

"Who told you to use your Royal Play right from the start?" Ryuzaki rolled her eyes when she got a grunt response from her student. She then smiled softly. _Good job Karin…_

The four remaining teams lined up as the referee declared them the four best schools to continue on to the Kantou regional. Karin was slumped on a nearby bench and couldn't even make the effort to stand in line with Seigaku; she was completely drained.

"In one week, we'll play for the winner, runner-up and consolation," the referee explained. "That is all and good luck to all of you."

Ryuzaki smiled and sighed heavily with a weak smile at Karin who was still slumped on the bench. Ryuzaki's grin faded however, when she caught glance of Yamabuki's coach, Banda or how she called him, Banji.

Now they were on the bus. Oishi and Kikumaru decided not to take the bus. Kaidoh, Momo and Echizen were sleeping (and drooling) in the back seats.

"Aww, Karin-chan's cute when she's sleeping," Fuji said. Karin had a seat completely to herself; her back was against the window and she was practically lying down. Her head kept bobbing from side to side from the bus's movements. She was wearing her casual American attire, since she refuses to hang around in her school uniform (she only wears her uniform to go to school); skinny jeans and neon green Vans and a t-shirt that had two llamas wearing hats on it and a quote on the bottom in English saying: "Just two good friends munching on a well cooked face." She was also wearing her Seigaku jersey, but it wasn't zipped up.

"Next stop, Seishundai," the female voice said on the speaker. Tezuka glanced at the juniors and freshman sitting at the back and then at Karin. "Kawamura," he said to the timid boy sitting next to him. "Press it for them."

Kawamura nodded and pressed the buttom. The bus came to a stop.

"C'mon guys, you have to get off!" Kawamura urged. Tezuka sighed and closed his eyes. "It's 100 laps if you don't get off this bus!"

"Yes sir!" they all woke up in a fraction of a second and got off the bus quickly. Karin however, was still sleeping. Tezuka glared at her. "That includes you,"

"Ehh, shove it…" she mumbled. Fuji laughed and poked her forehead. "Karin-chan, Tezuka's getting his allowance tomorrow; if you get off the bus, he'll buy you more Snapple."

"I'm up!" she stood from the seat and swung her bag on her shoulder. Tezuka grunted. "I'm not getting my allowance tomorrow, its next week,"

Karin turned to him and smirked. "Well, start pulling money out of your ass, Ka-zu-te."


	26. Another Saturday Afternoon

"And where are you going?" Jun asked her husband, who came into the kitchen in civilian clothing rather than his casual kimono.

"I'm going to Kazu's house," he answered her, opening the refrigerator for a cup of water. That was the nickname for his old friend.

Jun smiled. "Ok, tell him I said—"

"Ojii-san!" Karin's voice was heard. The old couple turned to the opening of the kitchen to see Karin, still in her pajamas (even though it was almost noon), looking furious.

"What is it?" Satoshi asked.

"There's _still _no cable!" she pouted. "Today's Saturday ojii-san! I need my daily Saturday anime shows!"

"I called the cable guy and he still hasn't fixed the antenna, what am I supposed to do?" Satoshi sighed. "Aren't you a little old to be watching anime?"

She rolled her eyes from side to side and raised an eyebrow. "Who told you that?"

"Well, I was surprised you were up this early; it's to watch anime…" Yes, Satoshi said _early_. Karin normally would wake up on the weekends a little past two in the afternoon; now she wakes up on Saturdays at ten or eleven a.m. to watched anime. And yes, that is considered early for Karin.

"It's worth it ojii-san!" Karin smiled and then realized he wasn't wearing his usual kimono. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to my friend's house," Satoshi said. "Why don't you come with me; it's not like you have anything better to do." It's true, Karin refuses to do anything on weekends, especially play tennis. She claims that she uses these two days for relaxation.

"Is he old like you?" Karin grimaced. "If he is then no; I don't want to hear your old people conversations about the 'good ole days' and how today's generation is a piece of crap."

"Karin please; he's a fun guy, you'll get along with him," Satoshi rolled his eyes. "Besides, he has a grandson; you can play with him."

"I'm not three…" Karin pouted. Satoshi sighed. "Are you coming?"

"Give me a sec," she walked off into the hallway, up the stairs and into her room to get dressed.

"So is he a childhood friend?" Karin asked as they drove on the street. Satoshi shook his head. "No, we were in the police force together along with another friend but we haven't seen him ever since because he moved away."

"You were a police?" Karin's eyes widened. Satoshi smirked at the attention he was getting from her. "Yes, I was," Satoshi said. "A pretty damn good police if you ask me."

"And he has a grandson?" Karin asked.

"Yeah, I've only seen him a few times though," he explained. "I've never really talked to him."

"Oh ok," Karin shrugged. Satoshi suddenly braked the car abruptly and made Karin slam her head on the windshield.

"We're here," Satoshi smiled. He glanced at Karin who was holding her forehead, muttering curse words under her breathe in English. Satoshi shook her. "C'mon let's go."

Karin got out of the car too and realized it was parked in a drive-way. Then she caught glance of a big house. It was very beautiful; the lawn was very well kept.

Satoshi knocked on the door. After a few seconds, the door was opened by a beautiful woman with long black hair picked up in a ponytail and slate grey eyes.

"Good afternoon, Ayana-san," Satoshi greeted. She smiled. "Good afternoon," she looked over at Karin. "Is this your granddaughter?"

"Yes, this is Karin," Satoshi introduced. Karin smiled. "Very nice to meet you, Ayana-san,"

The woman named Ayana smiled and nodded. She let them in. Karin fought the urge once more to waltz into the house with her Converse sneakers on.

"Who was at the door?" a young man, probably around Ayana's age, asked when they walked into the kitchen. He blinked when he saw Satoshi. He waved with a smile. "Hey, Satoshi,"

"Hello Kuniharu," Satoshi said and ruffled Karin's hair. "This is my granddaughter, Karin; she decided to tag along with me."

"Hi there, Karin-chan," he smiled and so did Karin, though Karin was quizzical. There was something off about this guy. He looked to be casual, just wearing a turquoise polo shirt and beige cargo pants but his facial appearance was strangely familiar. His hair was chestnut brown and his eyes were sharp and a dark chocolate color. He was so strangely familiar…

"Satoshi!" an old man walked into the kitchen smiling. Karin's grandfather smiled. "Hello Kazu,"

"So this is Karin-chan?" he asked with a smile. "She's cute; looks a lot like her mother,"

"In looks Kazu; in looks," Satoshi rolled his eyes; Karin's exactly like her father in personality; besides the eyes; which the only facial appearance she inherited from her father.

The old man chuckled. He was wearing a casual lavender kimono and his hair was white and swept back. His eyes were a sharp dark brown, much like Kuniharu's. "Well Karin-chan, my name is Kunikazu, but you can call me Kazu,"

"Ok Kazu-san," Karin smiled. Satoshi then smirked. "Hey Kazu; is your grandson home? Karin says that she doesn't want to hear our 'old people conversations'."

"Old people conversations?" Kazu gasped. "How dare you; when I was a police, I was forced to drink my own pee because I ran out of water and—"

"Dad, that's so nasty, shut up," Kuniharu groaned, slapping his forehead. Kazu chuckled. "Just kidding, I completely understand, Karin-chan," Kazu then started to make his way out of the kitchen. "My grandson's in his room, I'll go fetch him."

Once he left, Kuniharu slapped his forehead. "He's so disgusting; that's all he talks about…"

"How he drank his own pee?" Karin snickered.

"He's so annoying," he rolled his eyes irritably. "I'm glad my son isn't like that…"

"Found him!" Kazu walked into the kitchen with a grin. He turned to the hallway where footsteps were being heard. "Satoshi's granddaughter is here; entertain her; she's our guest."

"Why do I have to do it?" a calm voice asked. Karin blinked at the voice but she almost let out the biggest laugh of her life when none other than Tezuka revealed himself.

"Because I said so," Kazu pointed at Karin. "There she is."

Tezuka looked over and his eyebrows abruptly frowned towards each other even more so. He remained silent, so it was up to Karin to break the tension between them.

"Te-heh-heh-Tezuka!" she sang. "You live here?"

Everyone was dumbstruck at this point. Kazu exchanged glances with Karin and then his grandson. "You two know each other?"

"We're in the same school, same class, we sit next to each other, we're in the tennis team, he's my captain; we're practically related." Karin smirked. _This is gonna be good; luck is on my side today, _Karin thought to herself.

Kazu shrugged. "Well that saves me some time I suppose,"

Karin smirked. "So Ka-zu-te; how are you gonna entertain me?"

He remained silent. His expression was nothing more than a glare but in his mind, he was practically jumping off the walls in horror.

"Is there cable?" Karin asked. Tezuka blinked and nodded slowly. "Ah…"

"Yes! Let's watch TV!" she was careful to take his right arm and pull him into the hallway, where the living room was. He shrugged off her grip and glared daggers at the girl that was grinning from ear to ear.

"Why are you in my house?" he watched her walk over to the couch and sit down. She grinned. "Apparently my grandpa and your grandpa are friends; that's why I' here," she fiddled with the remote. "Do you have the anime channel?"

"Ah," he sat down on the couch but he made sure to sit on the right said where the armrest was. He didn't want to risk his grandfather seeing that he's at least ten inches close to her; Tezuka doesn't want any teasing to go on around the house saying he has a girlfriend or that he's a pervert.

Karin switched the channels around until she found the one she was looking for, though the commercials were currently on; advertising some kind of toothpaste.

"Anime is for little kids, Mizushima," Tezuka stated. Karin glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "Aren't I a little kid?"

"Touché…" he muttered under his breath. He's never felt so uncomfortable in his life. Apart from having Mizushima, a girl that has no shame and gets on his nerves, in his house; he's never had a girl in his house before, it's a foreign feeling. Either way, his poker face remains.

"Ugh! Stupid commercials!" Karin growled. Tezuka rolled his eyes. How can a girl her age be so childish…?

Suddenly, the show started. Karin's ocean blue eyes were glued on the screen. Tezuka was merely bored so he rested his elbow on the armrest and then used his hand as a support for his cheek.

"Oh my god, it's Lucky Star!" Karin grinned widely as the Lucky Star theme song started. Tezuka had never really watched anime since he outgrew it when he was eight. He found it pretty stupid now, but Karin, being the exact opposite of him, begged to differ.

"This anime's so cool!" she said. Tezuka rolled his eyes irritably.

"They've been talking about food for fifteen minutes," Tezuka blinked. Karin nodded. "I completely agree, cream puffs are a complete mess; I hate eating them," she smiled. "Now I know how to eat one! Thank you girl with pink hair and glasses!"

"How can you watch this?" Tezuka asked. Karin pouted as the commercial break started. She shrugged. "I never get to watch anime in America; the anime that they used to put got cancelled and that pissed me off,"

"How is it…living in America?" Tezuka actually had no intention of asking her this but he kind of acted on his own. Karin shrugged. "It's normal; it's like here only everybody speaks English, or Spanish in my case, and their all a bit crazy."

"Spanish?" Tezuka asked. "Where are you from?"

"I was born in Miami Beach, Florida, and I live there," Karin raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "You didn't know that?"

Tezuka shook his head slowly. The whole team probably knew her entire life story and he didn't know the slightest thing about her; he felt very weak at the moment.

"There's a lot of Hispanic and Latino Americans in Miami, so the second language there is Spanish," Karin explained. "It's required to learn it in school in order to pass."

"You know Spanish?"

"_Si_," Karin answered. "Not my strong language but I can speak it fluently."

"Ah," Tezuka nodded. They shared a moment of silence until Karin pointed at his arm. "Is your elbow ok?"

"Fine," he answered quickly. He then ceased his eyebrows a bit. "Is it true…that you're related to a therapist?"

"Why do you ask?" she blinked.

"I went to the hospital and my doctor said that for you to be able to numb my joints, you need to be related to a therapist."

"Yes and no," Karin said. "My mom's actually a _physician_ but she's studying to become a therapist that works with injured athletes."

"Ah," Tezuka nodded. "I hope she succeeds in doing so."

"Thanks," Karin smiled. They shared a moment of silence until Kazu poked his head into the living room holding a phone.

"Hey, we're going to order pizza," Kazu said. "What do you two want?"

"Hawaiian," Karin said. Tezuka shrugged. "Whatever that is…"


	27. I Am Sparta!

"Psst, Ka-zu-te," Karin whispered. Tezuka didn't look up from his paper. "Hmm?"

"What's the answer for number twenty-five?"

"You seriously don't know…?" he muttered and Karin flicked a piece of eraser at him, making him jump slightly in surprise. "Stop stalling and tell me."

"B,"

"Cool, but why; isn't it C?"

"Why would it be C; it makes no sense,"

"I dunno, I'm guessing; I'm not good at this math chiz,"

"Chiz?"

"Abbreviation for shit,"

"How long are you two going to be talking?" the sensei appeared behind them, making them jump; his voice pierced through the silence of the classroom. All the students in the class looked over at their classmates.

"Sorry…" they both muttered. Soon the bell rung and Karin and Tezuka walked down the hallway. Karin dozed off to her imaginary dreamland filled with sparkles and unicorns that fart rainbows and disco bunnies and ninjas with katana swords while Tezuka scolded her because he'd gotten him in trouble; even though the sensei didn't do anything to them; the worst he could've done was give them detention but he gave them a warning because he knew they were good kids.

"You know what Ka-zu-te, as much as I want to hear your rant, I'm gonna go ahead and buy some Snapple," she extended her hand. "Got cash?"

"Hnn," he pulled out a dollar and she grabbed it, running down the hallway in the process; leaving Tezuka to glare at her as she disappeared.

"He's from Yamabuki Jr. High," Momo said in the boy's locker rooms. He stood there with Oishi, Kikumaru and Kawamura. Echizen had just been attacked by a senior from Yamabuki; the senior, Akutsu Jin, served rocks at Echizen, injuring his face severely. He was in Ryuzaki's office getting his wounds treated.

"Yamabuki's our next opponent," Oishi said worryingly.

"Didn't he kick Arai too?" Kikumaru asked. Momo nodded. "Yeah, he's pretty crazy."

Oishi suddenly popped up. "Wait! Where's Karin-chan?" he asked hysterically. "Karin-chan's a girl; who knows what a psycho like Akutsu could do to her!"

"She's out of school grounds," Taka-san said softly and in a somewhat relieved tone. "She went out to buy some Snapple."

"Thank goodness," Oishi said with a sigh. At the moment, Echizen walked in. Momo's eyes widened. "Echizen; are you ok?"

"I'm fine," he said quickly, brushing past them, going over to his bag. Oishi walked over. "Echizen, you should complain to the board—"

"I just fell," he said simply.

"It's no use Oishi-senpai!" Momo took Echizen's face and turned it to the senpai. "He's got the 'I'll take care of this myself' face!"

"Don't cause any trouble…" Oishi muttered as Momo laughed and Echizen wore a bitter expression.

"So why's Sadaharu-chan going Spartan on our asses?" Karin asked with a bored expression as she jogged around the courts behind Momo and next to the freshmen trio.

"He's concerned about Ginka's training," Momo replied.

"What's Ginka?" Karin raised an eyebrow. Echizen suddenly ran past her with a smirk. "Mada mada dane, Karin-senpai,"

"Oh shut up," Karin spat but sighed sadly when she saw the freshman. Oishi and Kikumaru had told her of some Yamabuki senior named Akutsu, attacking Echizen with rocks and causing the various bandages that now inhabit his face.

"Taka-san, are you ok?" Oishi asked Taka-san, who had a distant expression on his face. Karin caught up to them. "Yeah, are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine," he stammered with a weak smile.

"Water time starts now!" Inui called out. As the tennis team ran by the table, they grabbed one of the numerous cups of water.

Kikumaru drank the water quickly and grinned. "Recharged!" he said happily. Karin didn't get water; she'd drank three Snapples a little while ago, all thanks to Tezuka.

Suddenly, there were groans of agony and shrieks coming behind them. Karin and the regulars stopped to look back only to see underclassmen choking and fainting onto the ground.

"What just happened?" Oishi asked. Inui looked over, holding a cup in his hand. "From now on, anyone taking longer than one minute per lap will have to drink this…" he tipped the cup over, letting a red goop/slime looking liquid spill on the ground and make a red puddle. "I call it: Penal Tea."

"That's so epic!" Karin grinned and pointed at the ground. "It looks like Laffy Taffy!"

"Don't worry," Inui smirked evilly. "This Penal Tea's good for the body."

"That's not the point!" Kikumaru cried and started to run along with the rest of the regulars. Karin gasped in surprise and ran to catch up. "Wait for me!"

"I'm not gonna drink that!" Kikumaru ran as fast as his legs could take him, leaving the regulars in the dust. The regulars quickly caught up.

Soon, it was the 30th lap, and only the regulars remained running. The underclassmen were in shock; Horio even quoted Karin: "The regulars are so kick-ass!"

"This is for the last person to finish!" Inui held up a pitcher full of Penal Tea right to the brim. All the regulars winced in fear and Karin frowned. "Ok, now he can just shove it; I'm not drinking that."

"I don't wanna drink a whole pitcher!" Momo ran as fast as he could and started to push Kaidoh, who pushed back. Echizen spotted a random racquet and smirked, grabbed it and handed it to Taka-san. "Here you go, Kawamura-senpai,"

The once timid Taka-san turned into a raging beast that flew past Kaidoh and Momo but the two held him back with all their might. Holding the enraged Taka-san made it harder when Kikumaru climbed up on him and hopped to the ground just in front of them. He grinned at them. "Not gonna drink it!"

Oishi ran behind Taka-san to reduce wind resistance. Karin and Fuji ran side by side. Karin sighed. "Everyone's trying so hard…"

"Even Tezuka is," Fuji nodded over at Tezuka, who ran just in front of them, his expression stern as ever. Karin smirked at her partner-in-crime. "You wanna see him try _extra _hard?"

"Be my guest, Karin-chan," Fuji smiled. Karin ran to catch up with Tezuka. Karin quickly snatched his glasses from his face and ran even faster.

"Mizushima!" he had had it with her today; first he got him in trouble in class and now on the court she was pissing him off; yes, Mizushima Karin pissed off Tezuka Kunimitsu. He officially snapped and ran after her; which fueled his annoyance because she put on his glasses and winced. "Damn man; you blind!"

Karin zigzagged through the regulars, Tezuka at her heels. "Give me my glasses Mizushima!"

"In your dreams, Ka-zu-te~!" she sang, running past Echizen, who was at the head of the line now. She smiled at the freshman who looked at her quizzically because she was wearing glasses. "Be careful, the beast might run you over."

"Let's see who's going to come around the last corner first…" Inui, holding the pitcher, turned towards the last corner to his left. Ryuzaki and the freshmen trio watched in anticipation.

Karin made the first appearance at the corner. But almost instantly, Tezuka made an appearance as well (with a very annoyed expression) and the rest of the regulars. They all crossed the finish line at the same time; much to everyone's pleasure.

"Here you go," Karin sat on the ground and held up the rimless glasses. Tezuka snatched them from her hand and glared furiously at her. "You owe me fifty laps, Mizushima,"

"How 'bout I buy you Snapple and we call it even?" Karin said breathlessly, still trying to catch her breath.

"Here you go," Karin pressed the button on the soda machine and handed the Snapple to Tezuka. "Now we're even." Practice had just ended, and Karin lived up to her part of the bargain. They stood on the sidewalk, next to a burger joint.

"Ah, thank you," Tezuka popped it open and handed her the cap; he knew she wanted to read it.

"Snails have teeth," she read aloud. "Cool."

"You guys don't hold back do you…?" said a familiar voice. Tezuka and Karin turned towards the burger joint to see Kikumaru looked at his empty wallet in shame and Momo and Echizen coming up from behind him with smirks on their features.

Karin smiled and walked over. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"They wasted my money!" Kikumaru pouted. Karin laughed. "Well, I had to waste my last dollar on Snapple for Tezuka; I feel your pain."

"Hey, isn't that Taka-san over there?" Momo pointed at Kawamura, who was walking across the street with a very worried look on his face. Kikumaru smirked.

"What do you think he's doing?" Echizen asked as he popped his head from the bush. Kawamura was walking into a restaurant. Tezuka left as soon as Karin, Momo, Echizen and Kikumaru got the idea of spying on Kawamura. He stated that it was foolish.

"Maybe meeting someone…?" Kikumaru popped his head from the bush as well.

"We're all going to hell for this…" Karin said, popping her head from the bush along with Momo.

"I do this all the time and I'm not in hell," Inui popped out of nowhere, startling everyone except Tezuka.

"Sadaharu-chan!" Karin cried in surprise. Inui pushed his glasses up. "It's a date…I can feel it…"

"He can feel it in his nuggets," Karin laughed.

"She's pretty!" Karin leaned on Echizen trying to look over at Kawamura who was sitting at a nearby booth. Kawamura was sharing said booth with a very pretty young woman.

"He's meeting a woman; I can't believe this!" Momo said. Karin scoffed. "Taka-san needs some ass too you know,"

"Ah; he made her cry!" Kikumaru pointed as the girl cried. Inui whipped out his notebook. "Never knew he was that type of guy…" Inui scribbled down on his notebook, making Momo raise an eyebrow. "What are you writing?"

"Personal data," he stated simply. Karin laughed weakly. "You never quit, do you?"

"Thanks for waiting," a waiter came to the table randomly. "Here's your super deluxe strawberry-chocolate parfait." The man placed the parfait in front of Echizen.

"Heh, Ryo-chan has good taste!" Karin ruffled his hair. "I'm gonna order one too; hey waiter!"

They had completely forgotten about Taka-san and the girl and focused on their parfaits. But suddenly, a man passed by the table; making Echizen stiffen and tremble.

"What's wrong, Ryo-chan?" Karin asked, eating the last of her parfait. Echizen gulped, looking back at the table where Taka-san, the woman and the man sat. "Akutsu…"

"What?" Momo leaned over angrily. The tennis team regulars all watched as the Akutsu smirked while Taka-san seemed very angry. Suddenly, Akutsu stood, took a cup of soda and emptied it out on Taka-san's head; leaving the timid boy in shock.

Akutsu started to walk from the table. Momo, out of anger, stood to meet him. Echizen however, from the corner of his eye, stuck his foot out from the table and tripped him. Akutsu caught his balance however. Echizen stood and with a smirk on his face, said:

"Thank you for this afternoon," he smirked. "I haven't introduced myself yet; Seigaku's freshman Echizen Ryoma. Nice to meet you."


	28. Surprise!

"You know, all this running around is getting annoying…" Karin muttered as she jogged around the courts along with the regulars and the other tennis club members.

"Stop slacking off!" Ryuzaki ordered furiously.

"Again with this training…" Fuji said with his signature closed-eye smile. "Ginka must be strong."

"Ginka can go suck it," Karin spat, making Fuji laugh and Tezuka, who was close by, roll his eyes.

As the regulars and some other team members turned the corner, familiar shrieks filled their ears. They all looked back to see the freshmen yet again faint at the horrible drink Inui has created.

"Sadaharu-chan should work for the FBI," Karin smirked. Oishi raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I think he'll have fun _interrogating_ people if you know what I mean…" she nodded towards Inui smirking evilly at the knocked out freshmen. Oishi gulped. "Stop scaring me, Karin-chan…"

Karin and the regulars crossed the starting line, signaling that they finished x amount of laps; that's right, they lost count. And of course, more screams and shrieks that would most likely be part of a terror film were heard once more.

The regulars looked back to see Inui smirking and holding up an orange timer. "Today, you have to finish under 55 seconds," he said smugly. "Anyone that fails; there's Penal Tea waiting for you."

"_Cojones_* Sadaharu; now you're scaring me!" Karin cried, running faster.

"What does that mean?" Momo asked. Karin adjusted her white cap on her head. "Ball sacks in Spanish,"

"So you do speak Spanish," Tezuka raised an eyebrow, making Karin frowned at him. "I'm no liar _cabrón_*."

"Taka-san, why are you so zoned out?" Momo asked. Taka-san snapped out of it and looked over. "Wha…?"

"Maybe he's in love!" Kikumaru smirked, making him jump. "What are you talking about?"

"Taka-san and random lady sitting in a tree; K-I-S-S-I-N-G~!" Karin laughed. Taka-san blushed. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Akutsu Jin…" Oishi said in a hushed whisper. The mood suddenly shifted into seriousness. Taka-san nodded. "Akutsu stopped coming to the karate dojo ever since he started Jr. High,"

"What's Jr. High; I've been hearing everyone say that," Karin raised an eyebrow. She wasn't good with Japanese culture. Echizen sighed. "Middle school, Karin-senpai,"

"Thank you!" Karin rolled her eyes and glanced at Taka-san. "Continue."

"I heard a lot of bad rumors; but I never thought he'd take up tennis again," Taka-san said. Fuji glanced over, his smile nowhere to be seen. "Again…what again?"

"During elementary, he was trained by a famous tennis coach," Taka-san explained. "So Akutsu is a very good player."

"So that girl that was with you is your girlfriend?" Karin asked. Taka-san blushed. "N-No!"

"That's sneaky of you Taka-san," Momo smirked. Kikumaru grinned evilly. "Sneaky sneaky Taka-san!"

"Stop it!" his face was completely red. Karin laughed. "Don't worry; it's probably your time already,"

"What time?" Kaidoh asked. Karin's smile remained. "When boys start to admire older women,"

"That's not true!" Taka-san cried.

"Stop fooling around!" Tezuka scolded them. Karin patted him on the back. "Tezuka's a perfect example; he likes older women."

"What are you talking about?" Tezuka raised an eyebrow. Karin blinked at him while the rest of the regulars snickered. Karin looked back at her teammates. "Guys, I think Tezuka's hasn't hit puberty yet."

"But he has a deep voice," Momo pointed out. Karin shrugged. "Maybe when he hits puberty his voice will be all squeaky," Karin smirked at a blushing Tezuka who was looking in another direction in an attempt to hide his embarrassment, though his expression was stern as always. The regulars laughed.

They ran through the starting line. It was the last lap.

"So the regulars are the only ones who remain in the hunt," Inui muttered and then held up a pitcher of purple bubbling stuff. "Like last time, this pitcher will be here for the last one to finish," his glasses flashed in the sunlight. "I call it: the ultimate special improved Deluxe Penal Tea."

"Ok, that's just effing nasty," Karin looked back and stuck out her tongue in disgust. "For the first time in my life, I actually don't wanna drink that chiz."

The regulars ran for dear life. Ryoma spotted yet another racquet and casually handed it to Taka-san, who transformed into the fiery beast that he becomes. He ran past the regulars with Echizen at his heels.

"Damn it, we're almost there!" Karin growled. "C'mon!"

"Karin-chan, so you don't want to drink the Penal Tea?" Fuji asked sadly. Karin shook her head. "Hell no, did you see that bubbling stuff; that looks nasty," she winced in disgust. "That looks like the cafeteria food that they give in my school."

"It must be tasty then; the cafeteria food," Fuji smiled. Karin snickered. "You're so weird."

Everyone finally crossed the starting line. Inui hummed and looked down at the timer: 54 seconds.

"54 seconds," he said. "Unfortunately, it's a tie."

They all sat on the ground, gasping for air. Oishi let out a breath. "Inui's going to kill us…"

Tezuka, who was holding onto the fence, looked over at his team. "How long are you going to be sitting there?"

Ryuzaki walked over. "Tezuka's right," she said. "Last time against St. Rudolph, it was a long-drawn match, and endurance is the key," she explained. "To compete in the nationals , we have to power up. So when you guys are tired it's the best chance to boost your endurance."

"What are you saying?" Karin gasped. Tezuka stepped up. "We're going to have practice matches. If you're chosen, go to the courts."

"Are you kidding me?" Karin cried. "A match; right now?"

"Well aren't you unlucky today Karin-chan…" Inui chuckled, walking over with a clipboard. "You're first to play."

"Ugghh!" she groaned. "Against who?"

"Tezuka," he smirked. It was as though a lightning bolt struck everyone that was there, but to Karin and Tezuka, it was a whole storm that struck them. Their gazes met in an intense stare-off. The same thought ran through their heads. _How will the match end?_

"Get on the court, you said so yourself Tezuka," Inui taunted.

"A match between Karin-senpai and Tezuka-buchou…" the freshmen trio watched them walk into the court. Horio's eyes sparkled. "This is going to be awesome."

"I'm tired…" Karin pouted and swung her racquet over her shoulder.

"Hnn…" he muttered, glancing at her from across the net. The regulars stood behind the fence.

"What do you think?" Inui asked. Kikumaru scratched his head. "Not sure; they're both equally good…"

"Maybe a tie?" Momo shrugged. Echizen smirked. "Karin-chan will win,"

"You think Karin-chan stands a chance against Tezuka?" Oishi asked. Echizen shrugged. "Sure, why not; she's the Empress isn't she?"

"One set match, Tezuka to serve," the referee declared. Karin smirked and began to spin her racquet in her hand, meaning she was into the game. She was excited; finally, a real match; when she went up against Mizuki, it was easy. Finally, a challenge; a breath of fresh air.

Tezuka bounced the ball on the court and glanced over at the girl on the opposite side with a broad smirk on her features. He remembered how she got on the team, defeating Fuji; and how she defeated Ibu Shinji with an injury and how she defeated Mizuki Hajime in a straight set. He couldn't let his guard down, not even a bit. She might be an annoying, shameless, random American; but she's got the skill and the heart; skill that matches with that of Tezuka's and a passion for the sport that matches his as well. He can't let his guard down.

**Translations**

*_Cojones_- A vulgar Spanish term for balls/ball sacks; spelled: _ko-hoe-nez_.

*_Cabrón- _Spanish word meaning bastard; spelled: _ka-brone. _(George Lopez says this a lot for those of you who watch George Lopez on TV lol).


	29. The Match We've All Been Waiting For

Tezuka tossed the tennis ball over his head and served it into Karin's court. She sprung into action and ran over and returned. Tezuka was already at the net though, and made a smash. Karin however, smirked and started to run towards it, slid on her feet under the ball and then hit it high into the air. It then dipped down and made a B on the court.

"Forgot I can do that, Ka-zu-te?" Karin raised an eyebrow as the referee called out '15-love'. "I copied the move in order to do the serve."

"Hnn," he muttered and walked back to the baseline.

"This is a tense match…" Oishi shuddered. "It makes me nervous."

"Tezuka's scary," Kikumaru pouted. Fuji's smile faded. "He's actually trying to beat her."

"What do you mean?" everyone asked simultaneously.

"15 all!" the referee called out. Fuji opened his eyes. "Have you noticed that Tezuka is trying to score from the start?"

"Well yeah," Momo shrugged. Fuji nodded. "He doesn't want Karin to think lowly of him or that he's going easy on her because she's girl or whatever; besides he doesn't want to lose because—"

"He's never gonna hear the end of it," Echizen finished, smirking. Fuji smiled at him. "Exactly,"

"15-30!"

"You got me there," Karin laughed. "Nice."

"Hnn," he tossed the ball into the air and served once more. Karin ran towards it and returned. "Ever thought of anything else to say other than 'hnn'?"

He returned the ball swiftly. "Focus, Mizushima,"

"You shouldn't give pointers to your opponents," Karin ran parallel to the net, spun on her heel, switched her racquet from her right to her left and hit the ball with a left-handed drop shot.

"Spinning Ace!" the freshmen trio said, but Fuji chuckled. "Not quite."

Tezuka was suddenly at the net, casting an intimidating shadow over Karin. He eyed the ball carefully and swiftly connected the ball with his racquet, hitting it unspeakably fast. It whooshed past the side of Karin's head, flying right through the locks of her chocolate brown hair that were in midair at the moment, taking some strands with its great, almost invisible speed.

"15-40!"

"Damn Tezuka, you scary," she caught her balance and adjusted her hat. "I haven't gone Royal Play on your ass because I'm tired; you're lucky."

"I don't need to be," he said, his deep voice reaching Karin faster than intended. Karin smirked at him and tapped the side of her racquet on the net. "That's what you think."

"Karin-chan's scary too," Kikumaru shivered. Echizen chuckled. "She's just mocking the buchou."

"Make him mad, in other words," Inui wrote in his notebook. Fuji smiled. "Precisely,"

"Game, Tezuka. 1 game to love!"

Karin bounced the ball up and down on the court. She tossed it up in the air and then sliced it with an underhand serve. Tezuka, who was awaiting the serve, saw this and merely straightened out and lowered his racquet casually; he knew what was coming. The ball hit the ground and did not bounce; it glided like Tsubame Gaeshi.

"15-love!"

"The Estonian Twist Serve…" Tezuka trailed off. "A very intelligent serve you created, Mizushima."

"Thank you very much," Karin swung her racquet over her shoulder and laughed. "That's probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Hnn…" he muttered, crouching down and awaiting her serve. Karin shrugged and fished out a tennis ball from her pocket. She tossed it in the air and swiftly served it.

Tezuka blinked and started to move back, instead of moving towards the ball.

"What's he doing?" Kaidoh asked. Inui chuckled. "Watch,"

The ball hit the pavement, spinning in place for a few seconds before shooting upwards. Somehow, the serve didn't look like it had any spin whatsoever; and Tezuka was right in place. He returned the ball quickly to the corner of the baseline. Karin looked back and clenched her jaw. She had moved to midcourt, thinking that he was going to lob the ball.

"15 all!"

"Maybe you're the one that needs luck," Tezuka taunted Karin in his own little way. Karin chuckled. "Not bad, Te-zu-ka."

"Hnn,"

"Wasn't that the Japanese Twist Serve?" Echizen raised an eyebrow. Horio crossed his arms over his chest. "Impossible! The Japanese Twist Serve goes to the face and then goes over the shoulder! It didn't do any of that!"

"That's where you're wrong," Inui pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "To do the Japanese Twist Serve, precision is the key so the ball can go to the face and then over the shoulder without flaw. Tezuka knows this, so all he did was move back to break the angle of the serve. When he moves back, the serve looks standard; hence, he returns it like any other serve."

"Wow…" the freshmen cooed, making Echizen smirk and tip his cap over his eyes. "Mada mada dane."

Karin moved back behind the baseline and rested her back on the fence. Tezuka's eyebrows furrowed. _Focus Kunimitsu_, he told himself. _Don't let your guard down. _

Karin tossed the ball in front of her, took two or three steps for speed, slid under the ball and served the ball high in the air. It dipped towards the ground and bounced. But Tezuka was quick and caught up to it; catching the ball in his racquet just as it bounced. His eyebrows furrowed even more so. _What power_, he thought, but miraculously managed to keep his grip on his racquet and return the ball.

"Out!" the referee declared. "30-15!"

"Hnn?" he muttered in surprise. Karin held out her hand and brought her index finger and thumb together slowly, saying: "You were this close, Ka-zu-te," she smirked, "This close."

He nodded and started to make his way to the baseline. Karin decided to at least let him try; she knew he was determined. She served the Brazilian Twist Serve once more, and again, Tezuka caught the ball just as it bounced and returned it; this time, into the court.

"30 all!"

"That was your mistake, Mizushima," he warned. Karin shrugged with a light smile. She knew he was referring to letting him try again; for both of them knew he would get it the second time.

"Oh please; you're so ungrateful," Karin taunted.

"It's funny how they verbally spar with each other," Fuji laughed. Inui nodded and looked down at his timer that said 10 minutes. He looked over at Ryuzaki. "Sensei, it's about time."

Ryuzaki nodded and glanced at Echizen. "Ryoma, it's your turn,"

"Heh," he chuckled. "Who's my opponent?"

Fuji smiled and stepped up. "I'll do it,"

"Game Mizushima! 1 game to 1!" the referee called out. Karin smiled. "Finally!" she cried happily. "About time!"

"You haven't won yet," Tezuka frowned at her. "What's all the cheering about?"

"It's not about winning Ka-zu-te," she glanced over at the fence where everyone stood watching them. "Looks like Shusuke and Ryo-chan are gonna play now; and everyone else for that matter."

"It doesn't matter to me," he replied coldly, tossing the ball into the air and serving it. Karin blinked but smirked and ran towards the ball. "You're so negative," she returned it swiftly. "Be happy once in a while."

"Looks like it's going to rain, sensei," Inui looked up at the sky. All the matches have started by now. The match between Tezuka and Karin still went on, miraculously; it had been more than thirty minutes already.

Ryuzaki winced when it thundered loudly. "The water's going to cause some trouble…"

Then it started to pour. Ryuzaki sighed. "It's really pouring; we can't possibly play under this," she took a step forward. "Practice is over! Everyone get inside!"

"And where are you going?" Karin asked as she watched Tezuka start to walk away. He didn't bother to look over. "You heard the sensei; she said to—" his sentence was cut off when Karin served a ball to his feet. His glance snapped over to Karin, their gazes locking in a heating stare.

"Who cares?" she said. "Let's keep playing."

"Mizushima, sensei said to—" once again, his sentence was cut off when Karin served the American Twist Serve at him, making the ball whoosh past the side of his head and through his locks of now drenched chestnut brown hair.

"C'mon, you know you want too," she smiled. Tezuka gripped his racquet. "You asked for it," he crouched down to signal her to serve. She smirked. "Now you're talking!" Karin tossed the ball in the air and at the moment the ball connected with her racquet, lightning illuminated her form. The eyes glowed with an even more intense ocean blue now, and her cap flew off her head. Thunder hit as Tezuka returned the ball. Karin used the water on the court to glide, and then she hopped in the air slightly and returned as well. Tezuka made glided on the water as well and returned the shot with a spin, but Karin caught up to it before it could bounce and smashed it, making it whoosh right past him.

They both gasped for air. They were exhausted. Running more than thirty laps at top speed under the thread of drinking Inui Juice and then playing an intense match; that was something to be exhausted about.

Karin tossed the ball over her head to serve. Lightning illuminated the sky once more as the ball was airborne.

"Hey! How long are you two going to stay out here?" Ryuzaki yelled from the top of her lungs. "You idiots!" her yelling was given emphasis with the loud rolling thunder.

Karin jumped at her voice and failed to serve the ball, so it bounced off of her head comically and onto the wet pavement.

"I think you two misunderstood me! I said to get out of the rain!" she cried and glared at Tezuka. "You of all people should know, Tezuka!"

"I'm sorry sensei," was his reply, which was followed by a glare straight at Karin. The American girl pouted childishly. "But it's not fair! Ka-zu-te's winning 3-2!" Her childish pout was turned into a surprised shriek when Ryuzaki smacked her in the back of her head. "I SAID GET OUT OF THE RAIN!"

Karin had no choice but to change in the boys' locker rooms, since the girls' locker rooms was on the other side of the courts. Luckily, there was a private bathroom where she could change into her American attire.

She sat on the bench and started to tie on her Converse sneakers. Suddenly, a towel was placed on her still drenched head. At that moment, she realized that she'd forgotten to dry her hair; silly goose.

"Ever heard of drying your hair?" a stern voice said. Karin looked up to see Tezuka with a raised eyebrow. She smiled and started to dry her hair with the towel that was placed there. "I forgot," she then made a comical puppy dog face while batting her eyelashes. "Sorry I got you in trouble with Sumire-chan…"

"It's alright," Tezuka replied sternly. "I don't mind."

"You badass!" she pushed him playfully, being careful not to touch his elbow, for she was sitting on his left. "You like getting in trouble!"

"No I do not," he said. He wanted to let out a smirk, but held it back.

"Yes you do, don't lie," Karin laughed. Tezuka sighed. "Do you want to continue the match another day?"

"Nah," Karin shrugged. "I know you're good; you don't need to prove anything."

"I don't want to prove anything to you," he stated. Karin looked at him with an expression that said: 'you suck at lying'. "Oh please; you and I both know that you didn't use your full strength."

Tezuka was caught off guard with the statement, but he quickly composed himself. "I didn't use my full strength, that's true,"

Karin smiled victoriously.

"But,"

Her smile faded.

"I only did that because it wouldn't be fair; _you _couldn't use your full strength," he explained. "You were tired."

"Aww!" she slapped him lightly on the arm with the towel. "You're such a gentleman!"

"Thank you I suppose…?" Tezuka responded awkwardly. Karin smiled. "How 'bout you buy me some Snapple?"

"Buy it yourself," he stood from the bench and went for the door of the locker rooms. As he walked out, Karin fumed. "Dipshit!"

And once more, their relationship returned to being a strained one.


	30. Time For the Games to Begin

At the tennis park where the semi-finals are being held, stood Tezuka an Oishi.

"It's finally the semi-finals." Oishi smiled. Tezuka nodded. "Ah."

"Nya~! Sorry to keep you guys waiting~!" Kikumaru grinned widely; he'd arrived just now with Taka-san.

"Wow, everyone's so early," Fuji chuckled with his usual closed eye smile.

"Get outta my way!" Kaidoh spat at Momo, who in return sneered. "What'd ya say? Are you trying to pick a fight?" Momo and Kaidoh bared a heated glance while Inui took notes. "Interesting…fighting so early in the morning…"

"Echizen and Mizushima are missing," Tezuka pointed out. At the moment, Echizen casually happened to walk by. "I'm here…"

"Mornin' guys!" Karin jumped up and down with a broad grin. "Did you guys know that Chuck Norris can peel a potato with his eyebrow?"

"Looks like everyone's here," Tezuka sighed. Oishi smiled. "Let's aim for the championship!"

The Seigaku team walked up to the sign up table, but on their way, they spotted Fudomine's captain, Tachibana, and two of his other team members and a young girl who was Tachibana's sister.

"Ah, is this your sister Tachibana-san?" Karin asked as she walked over. Tachibana nodded. "Yes,"

"My name's Tachibana An, I've heard of you; the Empress of Seigaku right?" An smiled brightly. Karin smiled weakly. "That nickname's what everyone knows me for now huh…?"

"You're amazing! You beat Shinji-kun!" An beamed. Karin smiled back and looked around. "Speaking of the devil; where is he…and everyone else for that matter?"

"They're late," Tachibana said, an annoyed look on his face. Oishi laughed. "They'll arrive soon, don't worry Tachibana-san."

Meanwhile, at the Echizen house, the phone rang. Nanako, being close by, answered it. "Hello?"

Echizen Nanjiro flipped through one of his perverted magazines as Nanako came up to him holding the phone. "Uncle Nanjiro, there's man on the phone that wants to talk to you,"

"Who is it?" Nanjiro looked up from his magazine, seeing his niece shrug. "He said his name is _classified_."

_Could it be…?_ Nanjiro thought to himself as he took the phone and put it on his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Nanjiro; long time no see man!" said an oh-so familiar voice on the other side. Nanjiro blinked. "K-Kaichi?"

"Why do ya sound so surprised?" Kaichi chuckled. Nanjiro smiled brightly. Yes Kaichi; Namikaze Kaichi. He hadn't talked to his old friend in such a long time! Ever since he became pro he hadn't seen him so often; but because they both live in America; they talk long-distance once in a while. But since Nanjiro's now in Japan, they haven't talked since.

"How'd you get reception here to Japan?" Nanjiro asked, making Kaichi chuckle. "Dude, you mean you don't know?"

Nanjiro was dumbstruck until there was a beeping noise coming from his phone, signaling that there was another call coming in.

"There's another call coming in," Nanjiro told his friend. He could almost see Kaichi roll his deep blue eyes. "Can't you do a three-way?"

"I think so…" he smirked, a blush spreading at his cheeks. "Ha, three-way…"

"Perv," Kaichi laughed. Nanjiro chuckled and answered the other call. "Hello?"

"Nanjiro, there you are; I've been calling you all day," Ryuzaki's voice was heard. Kaichi, who was on another line, recognized the coach's voice; or his previous coach's voice for that matter.

"Ryuzaki?" Kaichi called out in disbelief. "Is that you? It's Kaichi! I'm on the other line!"

"So it is true; you are in Japan," Ryuzaki said. Nanjiro fumed. "Am I the only one that doesn't know anything?"

"Nanjiro, I just finished doing some interview crap that my coach made me do here in Yokohama and since I'm in Japan, I might as well come to Tokyo to see you and my sperm child," Kaichi said. He was sitting in a taxi which drove down the busy streets of Tokyo. "I haven't been in Tokyo since I moved to the U.S."

"Kaichi, sorry to break it to you but we're in a tournament now," Ryuzaki informed him.

"Cool," Kaichi beamed. Ryuzaki sighed. "Now that you two idiots are on the line, I suppose I'll tell you…"

"What is it?" Nanjiro and Kaichi asked simultaneously. Ryuzaki smirked. "Coincidently, our team is going to play against Banji's team."

There was a moment of silence until there was a shriek from Nanjiro's line and a sigh from Kaichi's. "That old fart is still alive…?" Kaichi asked.

"I'll be there right now!" Nanjiro cried frantically. "I'll see you both there!" and with that, the Nanjiro's line went dead.

"Dumbass," Kaichi chuckled. Ryuzaki chuckled as well. "Kaichi, you do know she's in disguise right?"

"I'm aware," Kaichi nodded, looking out the window. Ryuzaki nodded. "Is your wife with you?"

"No, she's in the U.S. taking her midterm exams; she's been working so hard lately…I understand she can't afford to miss those tests though so she just told me to come to Japan without her…"

"You'll survive a day without Michiko," Ryuzaki laughed when she heard her former student pout. "No I won't! How am I going to have—"

"I'll see you later," and with that the line went dead. Kaichi, still in the taxi, sighed and ended the call on his phone.

"WHAT?" Karin gapsed. "Fudomine quit?"

"Yeah," Fuji nodded. Oishi nodded as well. "They got into a car crash and Tachibana forfeited." The Seigaku team walked together through the tennis park. Karin pouted. "That sucks…I was supposed to tell Tezuka that Tachibana said that he was going to shove his shoes up his ass…"

Tezuka sighed heavily as the regulars snickered. As they walked however, they ran into Fudomine.

"I'm sorry, but looks like this is the end for us," Tachibana said sadly as he walked by the Seigaku regulars with his own team. Tezuka nodded. "Ah…"

Then, there was clapping; not the good kind though; it was obnoxious. The Seigaku team looked over to see Yamabuki's Akutsu clapping mockingly. "Welcome Seigaku," he smirked.

"Hey, that's the guy from the restaurant!" Karin pointed. Akutsu glanced at Karin and smirked. "Well well, I've heard of you…" he smirked awkwardly. "You're the Empress of Seigaku…" his eyes traveled from Karin's eyes to her chest; it's not like he had anything interesting to look at, Karin wasn't flat-chested but she was approximately a 32A cup.

"Hey buddy," Karin pointed at her face with her index finger. "I'm up here."

Akutsu chuckled before coming up to meet her ocean blue eyes. "Heh…I'll see you later," and with that, he turned and walked away. Once out of sight, Karin shuddered. "I need a shower; like, right now. That guy just made me feel so icky."

"Icky?" Fuji chuckled. Karin glanced at him. "I seriously need to get you a dictionary on my lingo, Shusuke."


	31. The Bad Side of Brooklyn

Looking up at the sign in the tennis park, Nanjiro blinked as he read it:

Regional Tournament

"This is the place," Nanjiro stepped off of his bike and swung it over his shoulder and began to walk up the stairs leading to the park. However, a security guard suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stopped him.

"Excuse me but you can't bring a bicycle onto the playing grounds," the guard said. Nanjiro blinked but smirked, putting his bike down on the floor. "I'm part of the PTA!"

"PTA?" the guard questioned. Nanjiro nodded stupidly and once again swung his bicycle over his shoulder. "Yes! I'll be seeing you!" Nanjiro went to walk up the stairs again but the guard stopped him once more.

"There's no such thing as PTA here," he said, frowning. "I'm going to ask you to leave."

While Nanjiro pouted and comically cried, begging the guard to let him through; a taxi pulled up on the street. The door opened, revealing a man dressed in casual clothing: he wore a pair of jeans with black Nike running shoes, a short-sleeved green and black checkered shirt in which he kept unbuttoned over a plain white t-shirt that said in bold letters 'I AM NOT A FAMOUS PERSON', dark sports sunglasses that obscured his eyes and a dark green baseball cap that made his canary blonde locks press onto his forehead and the side of his face.

"What's going on here?" the man asked as the taxi on the street behind him drove away.

"Kaichi!" Nanjiro pointed at the security guard. "This guy doesn't let me go through!"

"Mr. Guard," Kaichi pulled out his wallet and whipped out his ID. "I'm here to judge the Regionals as a surprise guest. This man here is my assistant, isn't that right Nanjiro?"

Nanjiro nodded stupidly as the guard looked down at the license and went white when he read the name: Namikaze Kaichi; the famous undefeated men's singles tennis player; ranked World No. 1 for almost three years.

"It's an honor t-to meet y-you Namikaze-sama," the guard handed him his license and tipped his hat with a smile. "Have a good day!" and with that, he walked away; or ran away.

"Kaichi, nice lie man," Nanjiro laughed as they walked up the stairs. Kaichi shrugged. "Eh, anyone believes that I'm here as a guest…"

"Let's go see that old geezer; freaking Banji, I hate him!" Nanjiro growled. Kaichi laughed. "Let's go see then."

"There he is," Nanjiro said as he and Kaichi poked their heads up from a bush. Their former coach was sitting at one of the many tables drinking a coffee while Banji was sitting just behind her.

"He's freakin' creepy," Kaichi shuddered. "He's so pedophile-ish."

"Tell me about it," Nanjiro frowned. "He hasn't changed a bit! I'm gonna give that old fart a piece of my mind!"

"I'm with you buddy," Kaichi smirked.

"Namikaze-sama!" said a familiar voice. The two friends looked back to see the guard from earlier smiling at them. He handed Kaichi a notepad and pen. "Can I have your autograph? My daughters love how you play and they love your sense of humor!"

"Sorry, but I'm not in the celebrity mood today!" Kaichi took Nanjiro by the scruff of his shirt and dragged him as he ran from the guard.

Meanwhile, Ginka, the team Seigaku is playing against now, stood by the courts.

"It's finally time to beat Seigaku and take the lead," said the captain with a confident nod. His team members nodded as well.

"That nightmare last Saturday changed us completely," one of the team members said. They all shuddered, remembering the mysterious kid who beat them and took all their tennis balls as prize. "That kid got us fired up; we'll beat Seigaku!"

"Quick, hide! Seigaku's coming!" another team member said. Ginka nodded and hid behind the bushes and watched their opponents casually walk by.

"There's the captain, Tezuka Kunimitsu," said Ginka's captain. "He's good enough to beat even high schoolers; it's no good, he's very strong…"

"Hey, Ka-zu-te!" Karin hopped into Ginka's field of vision. "Did you know that in Pennsylvania it's illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator?"

"There's the Empress of Seigaku; Mizushima Karin," the captain said. "She's weird but she has something called 'Royal Play' that beats an opponent in seconds!"

"Karin-chan, where are you getting all these facts?" Fuji laughed as he walked. Karin smiled. "I got a new app on my iPhone called 'Weird Facts Because the World Is _Very_ Weird'."

"That's Fuji Shusuke; Seigaku's prodigy! He has three counters that are almost impossible to return!" another team member pointed out and then caught eye of Oishi and Kikumaru. "And that's the Golden Pair; Seigaku's best doubles partners! They play awesome acrobatics and trick their opponents!"

"There's Kaidoh Kaoru! He tires out his opponents by making them run with his Snake Shot!"

"And that's Momoshiro Takeshi; I've heard his Dunk Smash can kill somebody!"

"Kawamura Takashi…I've heard he turns into monster when he gets a hold of a racquet…"

"Wait, isn't that the kid…" the captain pointed his finger at Echizen as he casually walked by, his cap over his eyes.

Ginka let out a surprised shriek, making the freshman look over. He smirked, somehow recognizing them. "What's wrong guys?" he said smugly. "Are you guys here to lose _again_ or to get your tennis balls back?" with that, the freshman walked away, leaving Ginka in the biggest state of shock.

Standing before each other, the referee announced their team names and what the rules were.

"There's no black guy this time…" Karin pouted. Fuji laughed. "Any other weird facts, Karin-chan?"

"Yeah," Karin grinned. "Cowards are said to get very bad stomachaches."

"We forfeit!" Ginka cried to the referee. "Our stomachs hurt!"

"I spoke too soon," Karin frowned.

"Why are you idiots afraid of that team?" Akutsu questioned as Ginka walked out of the courts; though the team just shrugged and continued to walk. Momo however, growled. "_That team_?"

"There's nothing special about Seigaku," Akutsu continued.

"Why is there always that _one_ dude that ruins our day…?" Karin whispered. "Have you noticed this always happens…?"

"Who the hell does this guy think he is?" Momo flared, clenching his fists. He made the gesture to run to Akutsu, but Oishi held him back. "Stop it Momo; he's doing this on purpose,"

"What's wrong?" Akutsu cracked his knuckles with an obnoxious smirk. "Let's do this."

Momo growled, shrugged off Oishi grasp and started to run over to where Akutsu was.

"Momoshiro!" Tezuka called out, making him stop. "Cut it out!"

"Damn it, Te-zu-ka," Karin stuck her index finger in her ear. "I'm right here; did you have to yell?"

Tezuka ignored her comment. "This ends now, Momoshiro,"

Momo sighed in frustration and made his way back to where the team was.

"That's Akutsu from Yamabuki Jr. High," Inui explained as the team sat on the benches. Karin groaned in irritation. "Again with this Jr. High crap; middle school people!"

"Isn't that our next opponent?" Kaidoh hissed. Inui nodded. "Yes, they have incredibly strong doubles teams,"

"Apart from doubles…" Kawamura looked down sadly. "They have a new…strong player; that guy from earlier."

"Shit on us, we're on the bad side of Brooklyn today!" Karin pouted. Echizen smirked, drinking his can of Ponta. "That's my line Karin-senpai."

"The match between Yamabuki and Seigaku will begin now," the female announcer said through the speakers.


	32. Yamabuki vs Seigaku

Seigaku lost Doubles 2; Fuji and Kawamura.

"Game and match, Yamabuki! 6 games to 3!" the referee announced.

Everyone was in shock as the pair sadly shook hands with their opponents. The loss was very unexpected; the two usually made a good pair.

_Everyone's good at singles_, Ryuzaki thought, watching her students sit on the bench, resting. _Besides Oishi and Kikumaru, we don't have any good doubles pairs…doubles is our weak point for sure._

"I never thought Fuji-senpai and Kawamura-senpai would lose in doubles…" Sakuno said sadly. She and her friend Tomo-chan stood by the courts next to some benches with the freshmen trio, Inui and Karin; who was lying on the bench like it was a couch with her white cap over her face to block out the sun's rays.

"Don't worry Sakuno!" Tomo-chan grinned. "The Golden Pair is up next! We won't lose!"

"I wouldn't be so sure…" Inui mumbled. Karin took her hat on her index finger and twirled it. "Why do you say that?"

"The pair that Oishi's going up against is the same pair from last year," he explained. "Last year, Oishi and a former member of our team went up against that same pair and they lost…I just hope Oishi doesn't strain himself."

"Where's Te-zu-ka and my Snapple?" Karin asked with a pout. Horio sighed. "Is that all you think about, Karin-senpai?"

"I haven't had Snapple today and I'm pissed," Karin groaned. "I told him to buy me some and he said 'hnn' meaning: 'yes, I'll buy the damn tea you lazy brat',"

"Doesn't 'hnn' mean only 'yes' in Tezuka's language?" Inui smirked. Karin shrugged, placing the cap over her face again. "Normally; but when he's referring to me, that's what's going on in his pretty little head."

"I can't believe Fuji-san and Kawamura-san lost their match!" Shiba cried sadly. Inoue sighed. "It was completely unexpected…even Ryuzaki-san was in shock."

"Hey look!" Shiba said suddenly, hiding behind Inoue. "It's the old pervert!" she pointed at Nanjiro who was casually walking down the park's pavement. Inoue chuckled but then spotted that another man was with him. He couldn't tell who, but he looked strangely familiar; his facial structure at least and the few blonde locks that spanned out of his green baseball cap. His sunglasses covered most of his identity.

"I'm going to go on ahead; I didn't see him just now," Shiba quickly fled, leaving Inoue thinking: who is the strangely familiar man walking alongside Nanjiro?

"One set match! Yamabuki to serve!" the referee declared. The Yamabuki team couldn't wipe the smirks off their faces, and Oishi's expression was uncharacteristically frowning. Kikumaru however, flicked his friend on the forehead, snapping him out of his daze.

"Oishi," he grinned. "Strain yourself after I collapse." Kikumaru smiled as Oishi nodded and high fived him. The match started. Yamabuki served and the Golden Pair managed to rally for a few minutes but Yamabuki took the point quickly.

"15-love!"

Then, Yamabuki took yet another point from the Golden Pair.

"30-love!"

"Is it me; or is Oishi being targeted?" Karin said with a thoughtful look. Fuji sighed sadly. "That's probably the case…"

"Nanjiro-san!" Inoue approached Nanjiro with a smile. He too greeted him with said smile. "Hey, Inoue-san,"

Inoue glanced over at the mysterious man next to Nanjiro. The reporter nodded at him. "You look familiar; have we met?"

"Have we?" the man questioned with a smirk. Nanjiro nudged him. "He's a friend of mine, Kaichi; he's a tennis reporter, Inoue."

"Kaichi?" Inoue blinked in surprise. The man, Kaichi, sighed and slid the sunglasses down the bridge of his nose, exposing two ocean blue eyes. "Namikaze Kaichi; don't tell anyone I'm here please; I hauled ass from the paparazzi a few hours ago."

"It's an honor Namikaze-san!" Inoue gasped. "I'm one of your biggest fans!" Inoue quickly composed himself by clearing his throat. "May I ask why you're in Tokyo?"

"He's here to see me!" Nanjiro grinned. Kaichi glared at him. "Shut up, dick sauce; I'm here to see my offspring."

"Your offspring?" Inoue questioned. Kaichi shrugged. "That's classified, In-ou-e-san," he split his name into syllables; making Inoue blink but, after a few moments, chuckle.

"You sound like someone I know," he chuckled. Kaichi laughed. "Is that so? I bet."

"What do you mean?" Inoue blinked and Kaichi shrugged. "You tell me; you're the reporter."

"Well…" Inoue glanced at Nanjiro. "And why are you here? Are you going to see Ryoma's matches?"

"Oh please; I'm not here to see Ryoma," Nanjiro scoffed and turned around. "C'mon Kaichi," he started to walk. "Let's see if there's some hot girls around this place."

"I'll help you look but I'm loyal to my wife," Kaichi chuckled, following his friend. Nanjiro scoffed once more. "Oh please, Michiko's a softie!"

"On Friday nights? I don't think so…" Kaichi blushed with a perverted smirk. Nanjiro rolled his eyes and smirked. "You're one lucky man, Kaichi."

"15-love!" the referee declared as the Seigaku students cheered for the Golden Pair's point. Oishi smirked. "Did you really think you could beat us with last year's move?"

"Yeah Oishi!" Karin held up her Snapple bottle. "Kick some ass!"

"Last year's barrier has been brought down…" Ryuzaki said with a smirk. Banji grinned. "Indeed, he's very calm."

"Mizushima," Tezuka glanced at Karin, who drank the last of the Snapple. She shrugged. "Yeah?"

"You should go warm up," he said sternly. Karin stretched her arms in the air and tossed the Snapple bottle into the nearby trash can. "Alright," she took her racquet and swung it over her shoulder. "I'll see you later."

The Golden Pair lost games at the beginning, because the Yamabuki pair started to make amazing sign play; catching both Oishi and Kikumaru off guard. However, the Yamabuki pair was surprised when Kikumaru decided to make his first acrobatic move of the day.

From there, they made a comeback win; which made Ryuzaki smirk victoriously and Banji sigh with a weak smile.

"Game and match, Seigaku! 7 games to 5!"

Girls' shrieks erupted in the park as Nanjiro sighed. The girls ran away again; he didn't get it, he didn't consider himself that bad at flirting…and he didn't consider himself _that_ old…

"You suck mega giraffe abortions, Nanjiro," Kaichi laughed his well-known contagious laugh. Said man glared at Kaichi, who was sitting on a nearby bench with a broad smirk watching him 'reel in the babes'. "Oh shut up!"

"They think you're up to no good, Nanjiro-kun," said a voice. Nanjiro and Kaichi looked over, only to have their eyebrows furrow towards each other.

"I don't blame them for running," Banji smiled, placing his hands behind his back casually. There was a moment of silence, until Kaichi broke tension.

"What's up Banji?" Kaichi smirked. "Long time no see; you haven't changed a bit. You still up for Viagra?"

"Ah, Kaichi-kun, you haven't changed a bit either," Banji glanced over at the blonde young man with his signature creepy grin. "Aren't you supposed to be in the United States?"

"Aren't you supposed to be in Hell?" Kaichi raised a curious blonde brow. Banji laughed however and glanced at Nanjiro then back at Kaichi. "Are you here to cheer for your children?"

"Oh stop it~!" Nanjiro smirked. "We haven't had any children yet; we're planning on adopting—"

"I'm serious," Banji said this in a deadly tone, which made the atmosphere around the men tense. But, the old tennis coach didn't see the difference. "It's really a coincidence that my team is playing against Seigaku; your former school," he chuckled.

"What do you want?" Nanjiro asked bitterly. "You're obviously not here to say hi,"

"I still remember the matches that day…it's one of the finer memories of my tennis life." Banji laughed. Kaichi sighed. "I'm surprised you remember it; all I can remember is when Michiko gave me a—"

"We don't need to know what you did, Kaichi," Banji laughed. Kaichi shrugged. "What're you talking about you perverted old fart; all Michiko did was give me a Snicker's bar because I won my match."

"I'll be seeing you two," Banji casually turned his back to the men and walked away. Kaichi grimaced. "What a butt head; what did he think I did?"

"Singles 3 match against Yamabuki and Seigaku. Players, step onto the courts please," the female announcer's voice echoed through the speakers. Kaichi sighed and stood from the bench. "Let's go see the match shall we?"

"Interested in Singles 3?" Nanjiro smirked. Kaichi shrugged. "Why shouldn't I?"

"There you are Karin-senpai!" Momo cried. Karin nodded. "Sorry, I lost track of the time,"

"Stop making excuses and get on the court," Tezuka ordered. Karin glared at him. "I'll get on the courts when it comes out of my—"

"Disrespecting the buchou again?" Echizen smirked smugly. "Mada mada dane."

"This kid…" Karin glared at the freshman. "I'm gonna claw his face in half…"

"Ah, I _am_ lucky today!" Sengoku said happily. "I get to play Karin-chan!"

"You're the horny guy from the St. Rudolph matches," Karin said with a boring tone. Sengoku blinked with a weak smile. "Horny?"

"Take your time, you'll figure it out," Karin smiled.

"One set match, Seigaku to serve!" the referee declared. Karin dribbled the tennis ball with her racquet, scanning the court with her eyes. She smirked. _Let's get this party started. _


	33. Trouble

Karin tossed the ball in the air. As if in slow motion; arching her back slightly, she hopped centimeters off the pavement, swung her racquet over her shoulders and hit the ball.

Sengoku smirked and ran towards the ball. He connected the racquet with the highlighter bright ball and smirked as he returned it to Karin's side of the court. "C'mon Karin-chan; I've heard your serves are better than this!"

Karin returned the ball as well with a smile. "Just testing how good you are."

"Hmm," he hummed. "I see."

"He returned the American Twist Serve like it was nothing…" Horio pouted. Kachiro gulped and nodded. "Yeah, will Karin-senpai be ok?"

"Of course she will!" Tomo-chan cried and threw her arms up in the air. "GO GO EMPRESS!"

Karin returned the ball. Sengoku returned it as well, but aimed towards the right side of the court. Karin took this chance and ran parallel to the net and reached out for the ball with a right-handed forehand. Sengoku saw this and stepped back, just as Karin wanted him to. She spun on her heel, switched her racquet to her left and made a swift drop shot. Sengoku's eyes widened and made the attempt to run towards it but he was too late.

"15-love!"

"There it is!" the freshmen cried. "Karin-senpai's Spinning Ace!"

"So this is Karin-chan's tennis…?" Banji smiled to himself. "Not bad."

"You got me there, Karin-chan," Sengoku smiled, crouching down to await her serve. Karin merely smiled. "Like many others."

When she served, they began to rally. At some point, Sengoku came up with a devious plan and smirked; something Karin didn't fail to notice. Returning the ball, Karin raised an eyebrow. _What the hell's this guy smirking at? _

Sengoku ran towards the ball and returned it swiftly. Karin saw that the left side of his court was empty and shot it in that direction.

Sengoku sprung into action, and switched his racquet to his left. Karin's eyes widened. _This guy's lefty?_

"He's left-handed?" Oishi gasped. Inui pushed his glasses up the bride of his nose. "Not quite…"

Sengoku gestured to make a left-handed forehand, which made Karin, as a force of habit, back up. The orange haired teenager smirked and spun on his heel and with his back to the net, switched his racquet to his right hand and made a drop shot.

"15 all!"

He stuck his tongue out playfully. "Got you, Karin-chan,"

"Just as I thought," Inui nodded, making all the regulars turn to him. "Sengoku planned it from the start. Since he didn't need to use a forehand to hit the ball to do the Spinning Ace, he switched it to his left and then switched it to his right hand to do the drop shot."

"So he's not left-handed?" asked Oishi. Inui shook his head. "No, that was just a feint," Inui's glasses flashed. "Sengoku did that to cause Karin-chan physiological damage; it's not easy to get defeated by your own move,"

"But I don't think Karin-chan got what Sengoku-san did," Fuji chuckled, pointing his finger at a shocked Karin standing motionlessly on the court. However, a smile started to rise on her lips.

"How the _hell_ did you do that?" Karin cried in disbelief with a laugh. "You know how long it took me to do what you _just_ did?" She started to laugh. "You're kick-ass!"

Sengoku morphed a confused expression, watching Karin laugh. He did not expect that reaction from her.

_Mizushima is so strange…_ Tezuka thought, rolling his eyes irritably. His dark chocolate eyes trailed off to see Karin walk to the baseline once more, getting ready to serve. His eyebrows furrowed towards one another.

"Game, Yamabuki, 1 game to love!"

Everyone was in shock when Karin lost her service game. He gave Sengoku a struggle to get the points, but lost the game.

"What happened?" Kikumaru had watery eyes. "Karin-chan, nya~!" he cried comically.

Karin sighed heavily and walked over to the net calmly, like she didn't have a care in the world. Horio gulped. "Karin-senpai scares me sometimes; she's so calm!"

"Sengoku-san is amazing…!" Shiba said to Inoue, who was standing next to her. Inoue nodded. "He is. He got picked for the All Japan Juniors."

"Ah, look who it is!" a familiar voice said happily. The reporters turned to see Nanjiro and Kaichi. Nanjiro smirked in a perverted way as he stared at Shiba. "You're beautiful as always!"

"Pervert!" Shiba cried. Kaichi chuckled. "Nanjiro, you're gonna get slapped in the face one of these days."

"You must be the Namikaze-san; Inoue-senpai told me you were here!" Shiba said. Kaichi flailed his hands. "Shhh!" he hushed. "Keep it down!"

"Sorry!" Shiba blushed.

"Namikaze-san, Nanjiro-san," Inoue stepped forward. "What kind of person is Yamabuki's coach: Michiyo Banda? From my research, when you two were in Seigaku, you lost to a school coached by him. And you and Ryuzaki have a grudge against him…" he glanced at Kaichi. "Do you have a grudge against him, Namikaze-san?"

"Eh, I really don't care," Kaichi shrugged. "Besides, all I can remember was that Michiko gave me a Snickers bar," he sighed dreamingly. "It was good…"

"Again with the damn Snickers bar!" Nanjiro rolled his eyes.

"Can you tell me why?" Inoue asked. Nanjiro shared a glance with Kaichi, who shrugged. Nanjiro sighed. "It's nothing really. We were number one at the time. Our first opponent was the old fart and his team; we didn't take them seriously and the matches had unexpected results," he explained. "Kaichi and I won our matches easily in a straight set of course but—"

"That's when I got my Snickers bar!" Kaichi beamed. Nanjiro smacked him on the back of his head. "I told you to shut up!"

As Kaichi sat on the floor holding his head in pain, Nanjiro cleared his throat and continued. "Anyway, everyone on the team was freaked out by Banji's creepy smile; he's good at getting under people's skin and that's why we lost as a team. Ryuzaki and I were conned by him."

"And you're not afraid of him, Namikaze-san?" Inoue asked. Kaichi took off his baseball cap and ran a hand through his unruly blonde locks. "Hell no; why the hell would I?" he shrugged. "I really don't care; I normally take everything like a joke."

"Here I go, Karin-chan," Sengoku smirked and tossed the ball unspeakably high into the air. He jumped in the air and hit the ball dreadfully fast; Karin didn't have time to react.

"15-love!"

"What is that?" Momo asked. Inui's glasses flashed. "It's Lucky Sengoku's number one weapon called Kohou."

Karin smirked. "Kohou, huh?"

"Yup," Sengoku smiled. "I got my own lucky serve!"

"It sounds an awful lot like _cojones_," Karin laughed. Sengoku blinked. "What?"

"Nothing," Karin smiled and walked to the baseline. Sengoku shrugged and walked to the baseline. He served the Kohou again.

"30-love!"

And served once again.

"40-love!"

"Mizushima is distracted," Tezuka pointed out. Oishi looked over. "You can tell?"

Tezuka nodded. "Yes, she doesn't seem like her usual self."

"What the hell?" Kaichi flailed his arms. Inoue's eyes narrowed. "Why is Karin-chan losing?"

"Beats me," Nanjiro shrugged.

Once again, Sengoku tossed the ball high in the air, jumped and served it into the service box. This time however, Karin caught up to it and returned it at lightning speed.

"40-15!"

"_Don't mess with me,_" Karin spoke in English with a smirk and stuck out her tongue the same way he had done. "_I got you didn't I?_"

"Kick ass!" Kaichi cried as Seigaku cheered for the point. Nanjiro smirked.

"Nice move, Mizushima," Tezuka couldn't help but tug the corner of his lips into a smirk; but that was quickly returned to its usual frown when Oishi raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. "Did you say something Tezuka?"

"No," he replied quite quickly.

Sengoku's eyebrows furrowed as he got ready to serve once more. _It's a fluke_, he thought. He tossed the ball high in the air, jumped and served.

And once again, Karin returned the ball like the last time; lightning fast and in an almost invisible way.

_Maybe it's _not_ a fluke_, Sengoku blinked as the referee cried: "40-30". Karin swung her racquet over her shoulder and smirked. "I wasn't kidding,"

They continued to play. They rallied for long minutes, for they had both lost track.

"Game Seigaku, 2 games to 2!"

"Alright! Karin-senpai caught up!" Kikumaru grinned happily.

_This girl's tough_, Sengoku thought. _A little tougher than I thought she would be; I thought I got her when I did her 'Spinning Ace'._

Ryuzaki smiled when Karin finally caught up with her opponent; but that quickly disappeared and was replaced with a gasp when she saw Karin limping towards the baseline. A small detail that no one could notice, but Ryuzaki and her past experiences never let her down.

"Damn, she's got a cramp on her right foot," Kaichi clenched his teeth. Nanjiro winced. "Oh God; she's in trouble."

Ryuzaki frowned at Karin, who returned the gesture with a smirk and bringing her index finger to her lips. The old woman rolled her eyes. She knew that even if such cramp was small, it could cause trouble for her during the game.

Karin couldn't make one of her extravagant serves since it required her to add strain to her right foot; so she was narrowed down to using the American and the Japanese Twist Serve.

She chose the Japanese Twist Serve, but to her surprise, Sengoku, like Tezuka, stepped back a bit and hit the ball swiftly.

"Sengoku has an extraordinary body vision," Fuji explained. "He can distinguish where the ball will go and land." Fuji's eyes were opened and his smile was gone. The freshmen trio gasped. "Karin-senpai, go!" they cried.

"Game Yamabuki, 5 games to 2!"

Banji smiled creepily. "One more game and we win~!"

Ryuzaki glared at the old man's rude comment. She glanced at Karin who was limping more than ever. Ryuzaki frowned. "Karin!"

Karin smiled weakly. Behind that smile, she was in agony. The cramp hadn't gone away like she'd expected it would. It actually got worse…and all because she didn't warm up well…

"I'm fine; calm your nipples down," Karin tried her best to let out a laugh as she limped back to the baseline. As she did so, the cramp decided right then and there to lash her with unmerciful pain, making her nearly topple to the ground. She let out a grunt.

"A cramp?" Sengoku raised an eyebrow.

"Karin-chan has a cramp?" Oishi laced his fingers on the fence. "That can't be!"

"Crap, crap, crap," Karin let out a ragged breathe. _Damn it, they found out!_


	34. Tezuka Likes Snapple

Karin limped to the baseline, cursing at her cramp and how retarded it was. It was her own fault really, had she warmed up properly this cramp wouldn't be there.

She shook off the thought and got back into the game. She fished a ball out of her pocket and tossed it in the air. Now she was narrowed down to only the American Twist Serve that requires the least amount of effort to perform.

Sengoku returned the serve easily. He smiled. "I respect your will to continue Karin-chan," he watched Karin weakly return his shot. He ran towards the ball and returned it as well. "You're a tough girl!"

Karin tried her best to ignore the pain. Clenching her teeth, she gripped her racquet and eyed the ball. Her eyes trailed off to Sengoku, who was standing there, smirking. Karin then hopped with her left leg, performing her borrowed (copied) move from Echizen, the One-footed Split Step and caught up to the ball.

_I'm not gonna make an ass out of myself here!_ She thought furiously as she connected her smoke-silver racquet with the ball. _I'm gonna win this chiz! _

The ball flew with great, inhuman speed and hit Sengoku right on the side of his foot; startling him. He looked up at his opponent, and gulped, for the look in her ocean blue eyes was something to be afraid of.

Karin whipped her hat off her head and tossed it aside. She glanced at Ryuzaki. "Sumire-chan; get me my red hat."

Ryuzaki complied and after quickly finding her bright red cap in her bag that was nearby, she tossed it to her. Karin put it on and glared at Sengoku. She knew she looked weak at the moment, considering she was shifting most of her weight on her left leg; but her eyes spoke volumes.

"She's scary," Shiba shivered. Nanjiro sighed, placing his hands behind his head. "That's exactly how her father gets."

"Who is her father anyway?" Inoue questioned. Nanjiro shrugged with a smirk. "Hell should I know; it's just an expression."

"No it isn't!" Shiba hit him on the back of his head. While Shiba fumed at his stupidity, Nanjiro cried and Inoue tried to stop Shiba from killing Nanjiro; Kaichi leaned against a nearby tree. He smirked. _Go get 'em, Empress._

Karin and Sengoku rallied, making everyone somewhat tense. Sengoku gasped when he saw Karin hop with her left leg once more to catch up with his return and return the ball with all her power. The ball landed right smack at the corner of the court.

"Go Karin-senpai!" the freshmen along with Tomo-chan and Momo cried.

Karin caught up in a matter of time, quicker than anyone thought she would; especially Sengoku. He gripped his racquet and the ball in his hand, frowning. _You have a cramp on your right leg_, he thought, tossing the ball in the air. _What are you; invincible?_

_She's almost at her limit,_ thought Ryuzaki as Karin and Sengoku began to rally. _Her Royal Play tires her out, and it's probably adding even more strain to her cramp; despite the One-footed Split Step she's using. _

"Match point!" the referee called out. The Seigaku team cheered for her. Karin winced and shifted her weight on her left leg, for her cramp has reached the 'unbearable' level.

_Don't give up,_ Karin thought, clenching her jaw. _He's watching._

Sengoku served his Kohou serve once more. His All Japan Junior's pride was on the line; he couldn't afford to lose easily.

Karin winced as the pain in her leg lashed at her once again. She ignored it however, and hopped on her opposite leg. In midair, time for her seemed to go in slow motion. Her pupils enlarged and shrunk as her eagle-like vision pinpointed the exact spot on the court. Time began to run again and Karin gripped her racquet and returned the ball.

Sengoku's eyes couldn't have been wider as he watched the tennis ball hit his shoe at such an angle that it made it shoot forward and hit the net.

"Game and match, Seigaku! 7 games to 5!"

Gasping heavily, Karin felt her racquet slowly slide out of her dominant hand and make its unmistakable sound against the pavement. With a smile, she let her almost numb body relax and she sat down on the court. In joy, she threw her fisted hands in the air and laughed.

"_I won! Suck on that!_" her dominant tongue slipped and with that, Seigaku roared, cheering for Seigaku's Empress.

Ryuzaki couldn't help but chuckle. She raised her glance and met her former student's own glance across the court behind the fence. His eyes were obscured with his dark sunglasses, but Ryuzaki could clearly see his ocean blue eyes and that intense spark that glowed in them.

"Can someone help me out, please?" Karin smiled over to the Seigaku team pointing at her right leg. "Got a cramp over here,"

The regulars, most notably, Kikumaru, Fuji, Oishi, Taka-san and Inui chuckled and were about to move to go help her, but stopped right in their tracks when they realized the last person that they thought would offer to help Karin up was already midway down the court.

"Let me guess, you lost a bet?" Karin raised an eyebrow with a smirk as Tezuka rolled his eyes irritably and extended his hand. "Stop stalling and take my hand,"

Karin laughed at his statement but took his hand. He helped her stand but she almost toppled over, for she subconsciously stood with her cramped leg. "Owie!" she cried in pain. Tezuka simply kept a straight face as he led her out of the court. She practically used him for support the whole way; she wasn't limping but hopping slightly on her good leg; the pain had passed the boundary of unbearable already.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Karin held onto the bench for dear life as Inui examined her leg. He sighed. "I can't believe you can actually _move_ with this cramp…"

As the tennis officials cleaned the courts, the regulars conversed about Singles 2; Echizen vs. Akutsu.

"He's very dangerous Echizen!" Oishi warned him. "Please be careful!"

"Echizen, whatever you do, just don't go to the net," Taka-san stepped up. Ryoma blinked. "Why not?"

"If you get up close to him, I don't know what he'll do," Taka-san said. Ryoma said nothing and merely walked into the courts.

"We're doomed," Karin sighed. Oishi looked over. "Why do you say that?"

"I dunno; I've always wanted to say that."

The match started. Akutsu started out in a bad way as usual; provoking Echizen by swinging his racquet at his face. Echizen served quickly, and Akutsu returned it easily. Ryoma smirked however, and ran towards the net, making somewhat of a light lob over the net. Akutsu ran to it and made a light drop shot.

Ryoma surprised everyone, even Akutsu, when he jumped up behind the net and hit the ball with tremendous power…and it hit Akutsu in the face. Ryoma smirked. "Drive A,"

"Pow, right in the kisser!" Karin whistled and laughed. She earned herself a small glare from Tezuka but he clearly wasn't in the mood to scold her and merely brushed off her comment.

"Sorry," Echizen mocked and pointed his racquet at the glaring Akutsu. "You shouldn't take tennis lightly."

This was apparently amusing to Akutsu, and he let out an evil villain-like laugh. While he laughed, Karin sighed and tugged on Tezuka's jersey's sleeve. "Ka-zu-te…"

"Hnn?" he didn't bother to look down at her from her seat on the bench. She pouted. "Buy me a Snapple; this match is gonna be long,"

Tezuka let out a sigh and made his way to the soda machines.

Akutsu bent down just as Echizen was about to serve. With the racquet in his right hand, he served his famous Twist Serve. Akutsu however, from his weird position, somehow managed to return the ball with absolute power and speed.

Ryoma managed to return it. He looked for Akutsu on the court and the freshman was surprised to see him come from below the net and into the air. Ryoma's eyes narrowed. It was impossible for him to hit cross-court from his position, so Ryoma figured he'd return a straight shot. He moved to center court.

As Echizen did so, however, Akutsu smirked and quickly changed his posture and returned the ball cross-court. Echizen cussed silently and made an attempt to return it, but fell in the effort to do so.

"That's strange," Inui muttered. "He just keeps on attacking."

"That is strange," Fuji flashed his usual grin.

"You won't be able to get a single point from me," Akutsu smirked at the freshman. "You brat."

Meanwhile, Tezuka casually walked through the park. As he walked, he didn't fail to notice how girls watched him walk by. This always happened, he realized, in school it always did. He walks down the hallways in the morning and girls never failed to smile and wave at him, which he'd usually respond by nodding in acknowledgment.

"_Mornin' retard,"_

And then there's Karin. The strange one. The one that never fails to make his calm day a mess; from stealing his pencil from his hand, claiming 'his has an eraser and hers doesn't', to passing incredibly stupid notes and the teacher always manages to catch them in the act. Tezuka doesn't doubt that one of the teacher's drawers in his desk is full of senseless conversations he and Karin have engaged during class:

_Have you ever gotten a boner? If so, how did it feel?_

_What kind of question is that? That's so disturbing. And personal. _

_I don't know; the thought just came to me. Are you going to tell me? _

_No I won't._

_Have you noticed that your sentences get shorter and shorter?_

_Have you noticed that you ask stupider and stupider questions?_

_Have you noticed that you notice what I notice about what you notice?_

_That doesn't make any sense._

_That's my point._

_Your sentences are getting shorter than mine._

_You're such a retard._

_Idiot._

_Again with the short sentences._

_That isn't a sentence, it's a word._

_You know this conversation can go on forever right?_

_I'm aware._

Tezuka's thoughts were interrupted when he accidently bumped into someone. He quickly composed himself. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"It's cool, don't sweat it," the man he'd bumped into turned to face him. Tezuka blinked. He couldn't tell who the man was, though he looked oddly familiar.

Tezuka nodded, not being one to engage in conversation, and calmly started to walk towards the soda machines, which were nearby.

"Hey, aren't you the kid that helped that Empress girl up?"

The question caught him off guard, causing Tezuka to stop in his tracks. Now of all times was when his earlier action started to soak in. Why did he do such a thing? He could've let Inui or Fuji or Oishi do it.

"Yes," was his response. The man smiled as he watched Tezuka insert a dollar into the machine.

"Is she alright?"

"Fine," Tezuka pushed the button for a peach-flavored Snapple. As he took the iced tea from inside the machine, the man sat on the bench next to it. "That's good to hear…"

"Hnn," Tezuka mumbled, inserting yet another dollar and pushed the peach-flavored Snapple again. He hates to admit it, but he's grown fond of it.

"You like Snapple?" the man asked. Tezuka shrugged. "Sure,"

"Cool," he smiled. "You're not very talkative are you?"

"Hnn,"

"Ah, good luck to you and your team; I used to go to Seigaku when I was your age," the man smiled as Tezuka turned. "Who are you?"

"That's classified," he smirked.

Tezuka brushed off his thoughts and walked away. The man sighed and stretched. "Better get back to Nanjiro…" he muttered.


	35. Karin's Father

Everybody watched in horror as Echizen was thrown back at the impact. He had made a lob when Akutsu served, and then ran to the net. Because of this, Akutsu decided to lob it to the baseline, but Ryoma taunted him. Akutsu's temper got to him and he smashed the ball right at Ryoma, thus, throwing him back against the court.

"Ryo-chan!" Karin almost choked on her Snapple.

"30-15!" the referee called out when the ball bounced onto Akutsu's court.

"Hey brat, how long are you gonna be pretending to sleep there?" Akutsu spat. Echizen smirked. "Didn't you say you weren't gonna let me get one point?" he stood up and adjusted his cap on his head. "L-I-A-R."

"He used himself as a target," Inui pointed out. "When Akutsu returned, Echizen placed the racquet before his face and returned the shot."

"He's so smart," Karin smiled.

From there, Echizen started to win games. Ryuzaki enjoyed every minute that Banji was frowning. She knew however, that he was hiding something; she even warned Ryoma about it. The game had its ups and downs; Akutsu won some and Echizen won some. Everyone was extremely tense, Yamabuki and Seigaku alike.

Now, it was match point.

They rallied for what seemed to be hours. Ryoma returned every single shot, saying they were for Kachiro, and Taka-san, and Arai, whom were terrorized by Akutsu. He then finished it off by saying that he too was terrorized by him, having been served rocks at his face and made an unexpected drop shot. He won the Singles 2 match.

Akutsu scowled and walked over to Echizen at the net and grabbed him by the shirt. Everyone watching started to gasp and mumble amongst themselves. Echizen however, merely smirked. "I win," he stated simply. "You did good too."

Akutsu froze for a few seconds, then let go of the freshman. He let out a laugh as he walked out of the courts.

Seigaku began to cheer loudly as Echizen smirked and walked out of the courts. Nanjiro and Kaichi stood nearby, a smirk on their faces.

"Your kid did good," Kaichi laughed. "He had me worried a few times."

"He likes to do that; worry people and then he wins," Nanjiro chuckled. The two old friends stood in silence until Kaichi phone buzzed in his back pocket. He flipped it open and placed it on his ear.

"_What is it?_" Kaichi asked in English. He paused, and then nodded. "_Alright John, I'll be there in thirty minutes._" He pressed the button and ended the call.

"Who was it?" Nanjiro asked as Kaichi placed his phone in his back pocket. The blonde man adjusted his baseball cap. "My coach; my flight to Miami is departing from Yokohama in an hour."

"Aww, why don't you stay a bit longer?" Nanjiro pouted. Kaichi chuckled. "I can't. I have to go home and please my wife; you have no idea how hard she's working…"

"She's really into that therapy thing huh?"

"Yeah," Kaichi smiled. "See ya, man. My coach is a real dick when I'm late for things."

"But you're always late for things," Nanjiro blinked. Kaichi laughed. "Exactly."

"Winner of the tournament is Seigaku Jr. High," the announcer said as all the schools stood before him in the ceremony. Karin pouted. This time, she stood with the team; her cramp had finally gone away and she wasn't that tired anymore.

"This Jr. High crap is pissing me off," Karin muttered. Echizen smirked. "Mada mada dane, Karin-senpai."

"First runner up is Yamabuki Jr. High. Third place is Ginka Jr. High. Fourth place is Fudomine Jr. High. Fifth place and the winner of the consolation match, Hyotei Gakuen."

"That Atobe dude pisses me off," Karin glared at the teenager. Tezuka glanced down at her. "Hnn?"

"Look at him," Karin gestured. "He's smirking like he won the damn tournament!"

"Stop worrying about others, Mizushima," Tezuka told her. Karin merely rolled her eyes "Yeah, yeah,"

That night, Karin was in her house, sitting on her computer chair, typing in the last of the report she needed to finish for class tomorrow. Nothing too difficult that she needed to call and bug Tezuka about; it was write about what the lesson in Shakespeare's Hamlet is about.

Ramesses barked and wagged his tail happily, holding one of Karin's tennis balls that were left in the room. She smiled, took the ball from his mouth and tossed it over her shoulder without looking away from the computer screen. The shepherd barked and quickly shuffled to fetch the ball. Jewel was cuddled up on Karin's bed, almost completely hidden between the fluffy pillows.

Suddenly, Karin's phone began to sing its 'Welcome to Tokyo' tune. Karin blinked and rolled on her swivel chair to the edge of the bed and leaned over to take a look at the caller ID.

She smiled upon reading it and quickly took her iPhone and slid the bar on the touch screen to the right to take the call.

"Hello?"

"Congrats of winning your match, Karin," her father's voice said happily. Karin smiled and leaned back on her chair. "Are you in Miami already?"

"Bullshit I'm in Miami, I'm flying over…" there was a pause. "Asia."

"Wow, still?"

"Asia's big as hell," there was another pause. "But it's pretty cool; I can see the Great Wall of China from here."

"That's badass," Karin smiled. Her father smiled. "So how's everything over there? How are my in-laws?"

"Everything's fine daddy," Karin smiled. "How's mom?"

"She was taking the therapy tests today or yesterday or whatever the time is in Florida now," he sighed in frustration. "I miss her so much…oh Michiko…"

"Don't get to loud tonight daddy," Karin laughed. "The Bartolinis next door will call the cops again."

"They can kiss my ass," he spat. In Miami, Karin has Italian neighbors, the Bartolini family. They're a huge family: father, mother, four children, aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins that all lived under the same roof. They're incredibly annoying; Karin and her father despise them while her mother is quite tolerant of them, though she states that they are annoying. What pisses Karin and her father off the most is the fact that everyone in that family speaks English and they always act oblivious to the fact when their conversing with Karin and her parents; they always speak Italian.

"Did she pass?" Karin asked. Her father shrugged. "I'm guessing, you wanna do a three way, I'll call her."

"Ok," Karin nodded. Through the phone, she heard a number being pressed and then the call button. Karin shook her head while they waited for her to answer. "You have her on speed dial; you're so dumb, daddy."

"Shut up," Karin's father spat before the call was picked up.

"Hello?"

"Michiko my love! _Mi amor! My love!_" her husband cried in Japanese, Spanish and English. Karin joined in. "Hi mommy,"

"Karin, how are you?" she asked, her voice soft and sweet. "And Kaichi, you're missing me already aren't you?"

"Very much," Kaichi pouted. Karin smiled. "I'm fine mommy; I won my match today!"

"Congratulations, sweetie," Michiko said warmly. "Are my parents ok?"

"Yeah, I asked her already," Kaichi answered for his daughter.

"Good," Michiko said. "Is everything ok in Japan?"

"Yeah! I love it here; there's anime on TV!"

"NO FREAKIN' WAY!" Kaichi cried hysterically.

"Yes way!" Karin cried back.

"You two are children…" Michiko couldn't suppress a laugh. Kaichi blew a kiss into the phone. "That's why you love me!"

Karin followed suit, blowing a kiss. "And that's why you love me too!"

"Yes I do," Michiko smiled and then sighed. "I have to go, I have to study for my next test on Friday."

"Aww!" Karin pouted, but smiled. "Love you mommy."

"Love you too, sweetie," Michiko replied. "And I love you too, Kaichi."

"Love you too, bye honey," Kaichi said and with that, Michiko's line went dead.

"Hey…uh…Karin?" Kaichi paused before continuing. "Sorry about distracting you when you were supposed to be warming up…if I wouldn't have been there you wouldn't have gotten that cramp…"

Karin laughed. While she was just starting her warm-up, Karin spotted her father and said hi to him. She had asked him why he was in Japan and he explained why and he began to explain why his coach is so annoying sometimes. After about thirty-five minutes of talking, Kaichi heard Nanjiro calling and parted ways. Karin only had the chance to warm up for ten minutes.

"It's ok daddy; I won, that's the important part, right?"

"Ok, I'm sorry," he laughed shyly. "Well, I'm gonna have to go; the plane's rising and my ears are popping," Kaichi sighed irritably. Karin laughed. "Ok daddy; love you."

"Love you too, pumpkin," he said, and then the line went dead.

Karin smiled and ended the call. She then went to her photo album and looked up her favorite picture of her and her family. They had taken the picture in their backyard; Karin still remembers that her friends were the ones that took the picture.

In the picture, Karin stood in between her parents holding Jewel in her arms and Ramesses head and chest were seen just next to her, for the picture was taken from the waist up. Her mother, Michiko, stood to Karin's left, with a gentle smile on her face while her father stood at Karin's right with a big laughable grin. Her father's name is Namikaze Kaichi.


	36. Apology

In class, the teacher talked on and on about the math lesson.

Tezuka followed the lesson his teacher was explaining calmly along with the rest of the students and Karin of course, was sleeping through the lesson…_again_.

"Tezuka-san," the teacher said with a sigh, turning around. "Please wake Mizushima-san."

"Hnn," Tezuka, looked over at Karin's sleeping form on the desk next to his. She rested her head on her arms and her face was not visible; but by the way her breathing was evened out, you could tell she was taking a nap.

He swiftly took a tennis ball from his bag and, almost like a comedic anime show, he tossed it and hit Karin on the top of her head; making her head shoot upwards. "_What the ball sacks is going on?_" she said this quite calmly in English.

Despite not having a clue what the words meant, the class laughed; Karin unintentionally becoming the class clown to bring laughter to the usually boring classroom.

Karin frowned and tossed the tennis ball back at Tezuka, who caught it without looking her way.

"Ka-zu-te!" she pouted. "You have no idea the awesome dream I was having!"

"What was it, Mizushima-san?" said a girl from the back. Karin crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "I dreamed I was a bowl of cereal and Te-zu-ka was a fish; which is weird because he's usually a pickle in my dreams…or a cucumber; whatever, they look the same."

The class laughed harder and Tezuka merely rolled his eyes irritably and held back a light blush that desperately wanted to rise onto his cheeks.

"Oh Mizushima-san," the teacher held back a laugh. "You're really something…"

"Do I really look like a pickle to you?" Tezuka asked as they walked down the hallways to practice.

"I _think_ it's a pickle," she stated. "You _might_ be a cucumber."

"Do you just come up with things as you go?"

"Pretty much," Karin yawned and extended her hand. "You got—"

Her sentence was cut off when Tezuka placed a dollar on the palm of her hand. Karin was slightly surprised and stopped in her tracks, blinking at 25 blinks per minute. Tezuka however, just kept walking down the hall. Karin sighed and turned on her heel in the opposite direction. _Looks like he got the hang of things…_

Karin first passed by the bathrooms and changed into her Seigaku tennis clothes. She figured that by the time she reached the courts, she would've finished the iced tea so from there, she could just go practice.

"Hmm…which one…?" Karin bounced her finger back and forth between the various buttons of Snapple flavors. Her blue eyes widened when she came across a banana flavored juice Snapple. Snapple can be either a juice drink or iced tea; Karin really doesn't care, Snapple is Snapple.

"Huh…" she pressed the button and the machine automatically started to retrieve her drink. "…I never knew you could drink bananas…"

As she popped open the bottle, she read the cap:

_Right-handed people tend to chew food on the right side of their mouth and left-handed people tend to chew on the left side of their mouth._

"So true," Karin smiled and drank the banana flavored Snapple, which tasted pretty good.

"Uh, excuse me!" said a voice. Karin turned her head to see a boy running over to her. He didn't seem to be from Seigaku or any other school from this district to be exact; his uniform consisted of a white dress shirt, stripped tie and navy pants; a uniform not used here; at least not in Seigaku.

"Yeah?" Karin asked. The boy grinned at her. He seemed to be sweet; he had a nice smile, cheerful green eyes and messy wavy black hair.

"I'm looking for the Seigaku tennis team," he said and pointed to her regular's jersey. "You're wearing Seigaku's jersey, so you're in the team right?"

"Yes I am," Karin nodded and gestured him to follow. "Come, it's this way."

"Thank you; I've been running around all day!" he laughed and followed her. Karin drank some Snapple before speaking. "You don't look like you're from around here; what school do you go too? And what's your name?"

"I go to Rikkai Dai Fuzoku Jr. High," he said with a smirk. "My name's Kirihara Akaya; better known as Rikkaidai's Ace."

"Ah," Karin nodded. "I go to Seigaku as you can see and my name's Mizushima Karin," she mocked his arrogant smirk, "Better known as the Empress of Seigaku."

"The Empress…?" Kirihara blinked. "They call you the _Empress_?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Karin raised a curious brow as Kirihara stammered. "Uh…n-no nothing Mizushima-san, it's just that—"

"Hey Te-heh-heh-Tezuka!" Karin cried all of a sudden, interrupting Kirihara. They were both standing by the gate leading to the tennis courts; Tezuka was standing just a few feet from it.

"Hnn?" Tezuka turned to her, arms crossed over his chest. Karin held up her Snapple, more or less shoving it in his face. "I got _banana_ flavored Snapple! How whack is that?"

"You can drink bananas?" Kirihara stepped up, raising an eyebrow. Tezuka's glance shot towards the boy and he quickly frowned, looking over at Karin. "Who's this?" he used a deadly tone.

"Chill your nipples Ka-zu-te," Karin watched his glare get worse, but she continued. "His name's Kirihara; he's from so _Rika_ place."

"Rikkadai!" Kirihara corrected. Karin looked at him with an 'I don't care' face. "Yeah whatever; same thing,"

"Wait, Rikkaidai?" Inui inquired. "Kantou's number one team?"

"Whoa! Number one team?" Karin laughed. "We should hold him hostage and ask for ransom!"

"Why would you do that…?" Kirihara paled slightly. Karin laughed again and so did some of the 3rd year regulars that stood nearby. Tezuka rolled his eyes. "Mizushima," he scolded.

"Te-zu-ka, I'm just scaring the guy to he doesn't show his ass here again," Karin stated. "I'm doing you a favor."

"No wonder you looked familiar; you're Tezuka-san!" Kirihara pointed. "My senpais have their eye on you since you were the only one that defeated them last year." He smiled happily. "I just want a match! Is that ok?"

"People not in the club should leave," Tezuka replied sternly. Kirihara pouted childishly, but his smirk remained. "Oh come on Tezuka-san! Just one set!" he said. "Don't be so strict. You must be tired keeping that frown up all day."

"Oh my god; right?" Karin's eyes widened. "This guy understands,"

"Mizushima, you know the rules," Tezuka advised monotonously. "No outsiders."

"But look how cute he is! All he wants is a match!" Karin pinched Kirihara's cheek. "Isn't that right; you little cutie pie~!" Karin said in a baby-talk tone and Kirihara laughed at her silly action. Tezuka however, was furious; you could clearly see it in his face…very clearly.

"Run twenty laps, Mizushima!" he ordered. Karin and Kirihara jumped at his barking tone. Oishi, Inui and Momo, who were standing by, jumped as well.

"What the hell; why?" Karin raised an eyebrow. His frowned got darker. "Thirty!"

"Oh crap, you're serious…" Karin rolled her eyes. "Chill man; don't get your ball sacks in a twist…"

"Forty!" Tezuka barked once more. Karin sighed. "You're damn right I'm gonna be forty by the time I finish these laps," she looked up at his face, only to realize that if looks could kill, Tezuka's glare would've killed her twenty times. Karin saw him clench his fists and she winced in fear.

"Oh shit, I better haul ass," Karin quickly dashed out of the courts. Kirihara was also intimidated by Tezuka's barking orders and smiled weakly. "As a matter of fact, you look pretty busy today…" he inched his way closer to the gate. "I'll be seeing you!" he ran out of the courts.

Tezuka sighed irritably and walked out of the courts as well. Seeing him walk off, Oishi shuddered. "He's in a bad mood."

"You think?" Inui asked sarcastically. Fuji sighed. "I think we should leave him alone."

Later that day, as the sun went down, everyone started to leave home. Karin however, was _still _running the laps. She was on her 38th lap. She would've gone and packed up and left, but she didn't want Tezuka to yell at her again. She honestly felt frightened, he had never yelled at her like that; sure he's scolded her but he's never practically shouted at her the way he did.

She wasn't paying attention and bumped into someone. It was Tezuka. Frighteningly, she shuffled her feet a bit to keep her balance. She looked up at him. His expression said nothing and it was quite relaxed. Despite this, Karin sighed, said nothing and looked down at her white and blue Nikes and started to jog. Just as she was to jog past him, his arm stopped her.

She looked up at him and locked his eyes with hers. She was surprised to see that his expression was solemn and his eyes had a hint of sadness to them. His golden brown hair shined in the setting sun, making it look ablaze and the rays hit his face as well, making his features pronounce more. Karin noticed his eyes shone with an emotion she'd never seen before; she'd never seen any emotion in them to begin with.

"What?" Karin spat, pushing his arm away. "You made me lose my pace; this better be good." Karin knew she was being harsh, she realized, when the setting sun's orange beams made his eyes shine with notable sadness.

"I'm sorry," he said; his usual stern-like tone gone, replaced with a sincere one. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Mizushima."

"Oh…" Karin mumbled, furrowing her eyebrows as he continued. "I shouldn't have yelled at you the way I did; I'm sorry." As a show of his sincere apology, he bowed slightly to Karin, who was surprised at what he was doing. "Please forgive me."

Karin stared at his form for a moment before smiling softly. "It's ok Tezuka."

Tezuka lifted his head a bit, looking at the American girl over his glasses. The outlines of her features were slightly blurry, considering he's near-sighted, but her striking, extraordinary blue eyes were clearly visible and so was her warm, sweet smile. Tezuka couldn't help but stare up at her…

"It's cool," Karin smiled, but this time a bit more brightly. Tezuka stood up straight, cleared his throat and looked into her eyes. "Are you sure…? I mean I—I shouted at you and—"

"It's. Ok." Karin emphasized and broke his eye contact and looked down at her feet. "You just scared me a bit; that's all."

"I'm sorry," Tezuka apologized again and Karin glared at him playfully. "I said its cool, Ka-zu-te, chill!"

"Sorry," he rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. Karin smiled like she usually does. "Don't worry about it!"

"Hnn…" Tezuka sighed softly and gestured at the opposite side of the courts. "You can go home; it's getting late, Mizushima,"

"What about you?" Karin asked, blinking.

"I have work to do with Ryuzaki-sensei," he stated. Karin rolled her eyes with a smirk. "You're such a nerd," she smiled and started to walk in the opposite direction. "See ya tomorrow,"

If Karin would've looked back, she would've caught Tezuka watching her leave.


	37. The Ranking Matches

"Hey, you look pissed; what's up?" Karin walked over to Inui, was standing in front of the Ranking match's board that showed the different blocks and the different opponents one has. This was the first time Karin was going to participate in the Ranking matches, since she got onto the team another way. She was surprised everyone was pumped up, even the juniors.

Inui was staring at the board with a sour expression before Karin had spoken. After she did however, he sighed and glanced at her. "Oh nothing, it's just that I didn't get into Tezuka's block."

"So?" Karin questioned. Inui shrugged. "I wanted to play Tezuka; out of all the matches we've ever had I've never won a single one. I thought I was going to go up against him this time but I guess not."

"What block are you in?" Karin asked. Inui pointed at the board. "Block B which consists of juniors; one of those juniors is Momoshiro."

"Better than nothing," Karin smiled and glanced at the board herself. She, being Karin, forgot to look at the board when it was put up. "What block am I in?"

Inui let out a chuckle. "Luck is really not your thing Karin-chan,"

"Why?" Karin blinked as Inui pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a smirk.

"You're in Block A,"

Karin raised an eyebrow. Inui chuckled. "Tezuka's block."

"The Kantou Regional Tournament is very different from the Prefecturals," Ryuzaki spoke. All the members of the tennis team were there, including Karin. Tezuka stood next to the coach.

"The players in the Regionals are going to be better than any of the other opponents you've faced in the past," she explained. "Knowing this, we have to send in our best players so only the two top members of each block can become regulars."

"So if you lose two matches, you're kicked out of the regulars?" Karin asked. Ryuzaki nodded. "Yes, Karin."

"Ok," Karin nodded. "I'm new to this chiz."

"Yes you are Karin," Ryuzaki glanced at all the members in front of her. "Do your best!"

"Okay!" everyone answered simultaneously.

The Ranking matches began. Everyone started to play their opponents. Taka-san would intimidate his opponents with his monster power; Oishi would surprise everyone with an unexpected Moon Volley, and some juniors managed to win as well.

"Game and match, Mizushima; 6 games to love!"

Karin sighed as she shook hands with the junior and made her way out of the courts. She went over to the board and as the freshmen trio wrote down her score, she noticed that the regulars, as expected, were winning steadily. Tezuka was also speeding through his games, getting closer and closer to the winner's spot in Block A. Karin knew she was eventually going to meet him at the final match, for both of them hadn't lost any of their matches.

**Ranking Matches: Second Day**

Everyone was playing as usual. Fuji was having fun, Kikumaru was jumping around, astonishing his opponents with almost impossible acrobatic moves and Kaidoh kept on using his famous Snake Shot.

"Inoue-senpai!" Shiba called out, running over to him. He was watching Kaidoh's match when she came running over. He blinked. "What is it Shiba?"

"I just noticed that Karin-chan and Tezuka-san are in Block A!" she said frantically. "If they win their matches, they're going to play at the end!"

"I know," Inoue smiled. "Ryuzaki-sensei probably put them together on purpose."

"You bet I did," Ryuzaki chuckled as she walked over to the two reporters. "Both of them were a little upset that their previous game was cancelled due to the rain so I made it up for them and placed them in the same block."

"That was smart of you," Inoue chuckled. Ryuzaki chuckled as well.

**Ranking Matches: Third Day**

"Nya~! First to become a regular!" Kikumaru grinned as the referee called out: "6 games to love!"

"_Hey! Hey! Come on and get it!_" Taka-san yelled out in Japanese-accented English, flinging his racquet around. His opponent could only shiver in fear.

"Let's see…" Horio held out his hands and started to bring his fingers down as he said a name. "Kikumaru-senpai, Kawamura-senpai and Fuji-senpai already became regulars…"

The sun was setting, and the freshmen trio was walking out of the school. Katsuo looked up thoughtfully. "Ryoma-kun is going up against Oishi-senpai tomorrow,"

Kachiro grinned. "Their match is the final match of their block and they've both been undefeated so they'll become regulars for sure!"

"But I wonder who's stronger: Oishi-senpai or Ryoma-kun…?" Katsuo wondered.

**Ranking Matches: Fourth Day**

Oishi returned the ball to the corner of Echizen's court. Gasping, the freshman clenched his jaw.

_Oishi-senpai's really persistent_, he thought. He ran over to the ball and returned it powerfully.

"The ball's going to hit the net!" Horio cried. He, the freshmen trio and the reporters were watching. Inoue shook his head. "No, Echizen's power will surely get the ball in."

Oishi knew this. As the ball hit the tip of the net, it started to go into his court. Running as fast as he could, he reached out and scraping his racquet on the court, managed to return the ball. He was not going to let himself, as a senior senpai, get beaten so easily by a freshman.

Oishi's eyes widened as he watched Echizen jump into the air and make the effort to reach such a high ball. However, Ryoma gave off his signature smirk and turned his racquet away from the ball, letting it bounce out.

"Out!" the referee cried. "Game and match, Echizen! 6 games to 3!"

The courts were quiet. The regular stood by one of the courts, watching in tension.

Karin, troubled by the uncharacteristic silence, walked over to their position. She had just finished her match, so she had no idea what had happened.

"What's going on; why's everybody so quiet?" she asked. Fuji opened his eyes and didn't look her way. "Look."

Karin glanced over into the court. Inui was standing before Momo, who had a bitter expression. She raised an eyebrow. "Momo and Sadaharu-chan are going to play; so?"

"The match just _ended_," Fuji explained. "And Momo lost."

"He…lost…?" Karin's glanced snapped back to the court. "Just like that?"

Fuji nodded and Karin ceased her eyebrows. "That means…he's off the regulars…" she watched him walk out of the courts slowly and then walk towards the boys' locker rooms and enter. "Must be hard on him,"

"Yeah," Fuji sighed heavily.

After the freshmen cleaned the courts, the next match began. The final Block A match.

"Ah, we meet again," Karin smiled as she approached Tezuka at the net. He nodded. "Hnn," he extended his hand out. Karin smiled and shook it. "I watched the weather channel last night. No rain today so no excuses."

Tezuka suppressed a smile; keeping his normal stern expression. "Hnn,"

The game started and Tezuka and Karin rallied.

Tezuka returned the ball swiftly. Karin, watching the ball steadily, ran over and shot the ball right back. Tezuka's eyes widened as the ball shot right at the corner of the court, catching him off guard. Oh the irony.

"Game, Mizushima!"

"Game count is 1 to 1, huh?" Oishi mumbled. Inui smiled. "They're playing evenly compared to last time they met."

"Karin-chan has more experience now," Fuji stated. "She doesn't make the same mistakes twice."

Karin dribbled the ball on the court with her racquet. Smiling, she tossed the ball in the air and served. Tezuka stepped back and returned the Japanese Twist Serve effortlessly. Karin made a pouting face.

"I can't use the Japanese Twist on you anymore can I…?" she returned the ball. Tezuka ran across his court, returning her shot. "I would seem so…"

Karin laughed and returned the shot unspeakably fast into the opposite direction, making Tezuka's eyes widen momentarily and change course rapidly. He didn't get there at the appropriate time and only managed to lob the ball. Karin ran to the ball and only jumping into the air a few centimeters, for she isn't of fan of jumping unspeakably high like her teammates, and hit a smash.

Tezuka ran to the net and made his swift signature drop shot.

Karin clenched her jaw and, using the One-footed split step, caught up and made a fast shot to the corner of the baseline.

"15-love!"

Kikumaru whistled. "Karin-chan's good!"

Karin tossed the ball into the air, spinning it like a topspin would, and slicing the ball in the same direction. Tezuka's eyes sharpened in a glare as the ball crossed to the side of his court and glided on the dark green pavement. The Estonian Twist Serve. Oh how he hated that serve; there was just no way to return it.

"30-love!"

"Here, I'll give you a chance, my love," Karin smiled, tossing the ball in the air, gesturing to serve the American Twist Serve. Tezuka couldn't resist the fact that his cheeks reddened a bit; hardly noticeable.

He realized he was dozing off when the ball whooshed past the side of his head, somewhat scaring him. Karin blinked. "That was an easy serve, Ka-zu-te; what was that?"

Tezuka cleared his throat, trying to cover his ridiculous miss. "Don't let your guard down Mizushima."

"What are you talking about, you dork, that was an easy serve," Karin blinked and he shook his head. "Serve again."

"Fine…" Karin sighed and served again. This time, the ball landed on her court before she could even move a muscle.

"40-15!"

"Not bad, Ka-zu-te," Karin smiled. Tezuka rolled his eyes. Karin tossed the ball into the air and sliced it. In response, Tezuka straightened out his back and lowered his racquet to his side, letting out a soft grunt in frustration. He hates not being able to return that Estonian Twist.

"Game, Mizushima! 2 games to 1!"

Ryuzaki chuckled, making Inoue and Shiba glance at her. They were watching the match as well, but they were standing out of earshot from the other regulars watching. Shiba raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny Ryuzaki-san?"

She couldn't help but chuckle again. "This might sound strange but Karin has changed Tezuka."

"What do you mean?" Shiba asked. Inoue cupped his chin. "I've noted that he's a bit more open and changes his expression from time to time; is that what you're referring too?"

"Yes, Karin's had a subconscious effect on him; she's changed his way of being. Nothing too big; he's still serious as ever, but I've noticed little things that he would never do; and the best part: he doesn't realize he's doing them," Ryuzaki smirked. Shiba raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Didn't you see what he just did?" Inoue smiled. "He acted like a child; he got frustrated, rolled his eyes and let a groan."

"Like Karin-chan…" Shiba gasped. "She's rubbing it off on him!"

"Sort of," Ryuzaki laughed.

"Game count: 3 games to 3!"

Tezuka served swiftly in the service box. Karin ran to the ball and returned it. Tezuka slid on the pavement slightly and made his signature drop shot.

Karin let out a growl. Stupid drop shot, Karin thought bitterly. Using the One-footed split step, she caught up to it and lobbed it, but Tezuka smashed the ball and got the point.

"Karin-chan's catching up to the drop shot," Fuji said. Oishi nodded. "Yeah, with the split step,"

They rallied for what seemed to be hours. Karin finished it up by running parallel to the net, spinning on her heel, switched her racquet in her hands and made a drop shot; Spinning Ace. Tezuka didn't catch up.

"Game count: 4 games to 3!"

"Damn, that game was looonnng…" she emphasized, rolling her eyes. Tezuka glared at her. "If you're bored, just quit and give me the victory,"

"Go lick some giraffe nipples," Karin smirked. "I ain't givin' up."

"Karin-chan comes up with unusual phrases…" Shiba smiled weakly. Ryuzaki sighed. "Tezuka has to put up with her colorful vocabulary all day…"

Suddenly, the ball whooshed into Karin's court, getting the point.

Karin's eyes widened as Tezuka stood there emotionless as ever. Her eyebrows frowned towards each other and her lips were slightly parted in surprise. _W-What the hell…was that…?_

"Now, Mizushima," Tezuka taunted. "The real game begins _now_." Oh how he wanted to smirk and tell her to go lick some cow ovaries or whatever else he could come up with. But being Tezuka Kunimitsu, he just let out his signature 'hnn' and walked back to the baseline.

Karin let out a sigh and walked back to the baseline too. _Dipshit_, she thought, turning around, seeing him dribble the ball on the pavement.


	38. How It Ends

Tezuka tossed the ball over his head and served it swiftly. It landed on the outer corner of the sercive box. Karin clenched her jaw and ran to the ball and returned it. It was a heavy one, and Karin obviously had to comment on it.

"Someone's pissy," she laughed.

Tezuka said nothing and returned. Karin frowned, noticing something was off but returned the shot; she didn't have time to think; like her father taught her: act, then when you finish the game, think.

Tezuka returned her shot without moving from his spot on the center of the court. He kept his right foot on the same spot and pivoted with his left foot according to Karin's return.

Karin let out a breath and returned the shot again, only for Tezuka to do the same exact thing.

She knew something was up. What he was doing was oddly familiar, yet she couldn't put her finger on it. She decided to test her theory. She returned the ball to the left corner of the court, only for it to make its way to Tezuka after it bounced.

"It's like the ball is attracted to Tezuka," Oishi muttered. "He hasn't moved from that spot even though Karin-chan keeps returning to the corners."

"This is the buchou's true strength…" Echizen stated.

"What the hell!" Karin pouted, flailing her arms in the air childishly. "What are you doing; Ka-zu-te! This isn't normal!"

Tezuka raised an eyebrow and said nothing. Karin groaned, but let out a sigh. "Excuse me, I'll be right back…" she walked over to her bag, zipped it open and switched her white cap for her red one.

"Here it comes," Fuji smiled as Karin made her way to the court.

"You're up to something," she pointed her racquet at him. "I have a feeling that I've seen what you're doing from somewhere but in the meantime; I'm gonna kick your ass and then figure it out." Karin smirked.

Tezuka rolled his eyes. "Whatever…"

Karin merely smiled and adjusted her hat on her head. "Hurry up and serve, dipstick,"

"Hnn," Tezuka tossed the ball in the air and served. Karin returned the ball swiftly and saw that once again, it was drawn over to Tezuka.

Karin was in denial that the move he was using was the move she thought it was and just kept on returning his shots.

"What is that?" Taka-san asked. Ryuzaki chuckled. "It's called Tezuka Zone."

Tezuka made the stance for the drop shot, making Fuji smile. "Watch freshmen," he told them, making them turn to him. "You'll probably only see this once in a lifetime."

Tezuka swiftly hit the ball and it softly went over the net. Karin saw this and used the split step to catch up to it. She was going to return it when it bounced but instead…it rolled towards the net.

With a gaping mouth, Karin stared at the ball. She let out a laugh. "Bullshit!" she jumped up and down. "You have to teach me that!"

Tezuka couldn't help but morph a confused expression but then, he regained his usual face; for he was somewhat expecting that reaction from Karin.

They rallied again. As they rallied, Karin finally figured it out. That move that draws the ball to the user; her father uses it sometimes when Karin plays with him. Nanjiro has used it on her too, when she visited Japan when she was about ten years old with her mother; her father was in China playing in a tournament at the time.

"Game count: 6 games to 5! Tezuka leads!"

Karin and Tezuka both gasped for air. Both were tired, but knowing their personalities, they wouldn't give up.

Tezuka tossed the ball over his head and served it into the corner of the service box. Karin shot the ball towards his feet, but alas, the Tezuka Zone made the ball bounce right to his racquet.

_Shit on me_, Karin cussed, returning the ball. Tezuka with his usual expression returned the ball from the spot he hasn't moved from. Karin shot the ball right back, only for it to be drawn to the stern teenager.

Tezuka raised his racquet behind his head and swiftly made the drop shot. Karin saw this and used the split step once more to catch up to it. Karin nearly tripped as she tried to catch the ball into her racquet before it bounced, but the racquet scraped on the pavement as it drew closer to the highlighter bright ball. The ball bounced and rolled toward the net. If Karin would've gotten there three seconds earlier, she would've returned it. But she didn't.

"Game and match, Tezuka! 7 games to 5!"

Karin smiled weakly and gasped for air. "You really _are_ good Ka-zu-te," Karin complemented.

"Thank you," Tezuka walked over to the net and shook her hand. "You're good too…" he trailed off, his tone a whisper. Karin smiled and tried to release his hand from his grip, but struggled to do so.

"Uh, Ka-zu-te; my hand?" she asked, pulling on it slightly, for his grip wouldn't budge. His eyes widened and he quickly released her hand. He rubbed his neck and looked away. "S-Sorry,"

"It's cool…I guess…?" Karin raised an eyebrow at him but shrugged and smiled. "Nice game, Te-zu-ka; you really bit me in the ass today."

Tezuka could feel his face heat up as he watched Karin walk out of the courts, waving her hand in the air. "_Really_ hard; as a matter of fact."


	39. Confession

"Oh! Look who has a jersey!" Karin pointed at Inui, who walked into the courts as a regular and not the team's manager. "Work it!"

"Thank you, Karin-chan," he smiled as he scribbled down notes. Karin smiled as he closed his notebook. "Actually, I don't have a warm-up partner; want to practice?"

"Sure," Karin picked up her racquet and the two started to rally.

"Dude, its 90 degrees out; take off the jersey!" Karin joked. Inui just sneered. "Yeah right,"

"Ah nya~!" Kikumaru meowed. "Momo's not here today either…" It's been at least three days since the Ranking matches. Kikumaru laughed. "I wanted to make fun of him when he walked in with a regular jersey on!"

"Eiji, don't be so insensitive!" Oishi cried to his partner. Everyone in the courts started to watch; Inui and Karin even stopped their rally.

"He's probably slacking off since he's out of the regulars," Kikumaru said and then burst into laughter, making Oishi confused. The red head pushed him playfully. "You're wearing your shirt inside-out!"

Oishi apparently wasn't in the mood to joke around and shoved his doubles partner, making him topple to the floor. He realized what he did and offered his hand while apologizing. "I'm sorry, Eiji!"

Kikumaru slapped his hand away and picked himself up. "Now I'm angry!" he turned his back to him. "I'm not partnering up with a guy like him! Combination cancelled!"

"Why is there yelling on the courts?" said a stern voice. Everyone looked to the gate to see Tezuka standing there.

"Run 20 laps around the courts, both of you," Tezuka ordered calmly. Oishi and Kikumaru sighed heavily and jogged out of the courts. Karin sighed and leaned against the fence next to Fuji.

"Mizushima,"

"Hmm?" Karin glanced Tezuka's way and saw he held out a Snapple bottle.

"Here,"

"Thank you," she popped it open and started to drink as Tezuka turned to the club and start to give out orders.

Meanwhile, in Ryuzaki's office sat Yamabuki's coach, Banda or Banjii.

"Don't you think he's a little advanced already; Tezuka Kunimitsu that is," Banjii said with his usual creepy smile. Ryuzaki scoffed. "Are you trying to weaken Seigaku's team?"

"No, it's just that when Akutsu left, we have a very big gap to fill," he said and smiled widely. "Can I have Echizen then?"

"No, you damned old man!"

"What about Namikaze?" Banjii said. Ryuzaki blinked. "…No."

"You hesitated." Banjii didn't fail to notice. Ryuzaki merely scoffed. "She's known here as Mizushima,"

"She'll have to spill the beans at some point," Banjii stood and nodded towards the envelope he left on the coffee table filled with brochures and magazines of schools in other countries; to study abroad. "Please pass this on to Tezuka-san,"

Ryuzaki nodded as he left her office. She sighed, knowing that Tezuka's potential lied here in Seigaku.

That day, as the sun went down and everyone was packing up to leave, Tezuka was called to the coach's office.

"A lot of the world's top pros go there," Ryuzaki explained as Tezuka flipped through one of the many brochures. "They're advanced level schools that only a few people get to go to."

Tezuka remained silent as she continued. "You don't have to give me an answer now. Go home and discuss it with your family."

"Hnn," Tezuka put the brochure into the envelope again and stood from his seat. "Thank you."

Tezuka sat on a bench in the train station, waiting for it to arrive. In the meantime, he finished reading where he'd left off earlier in Ryuzaki's office. The schools really looked amazing, he had to admit. They gave you scholarships if you were a really good player and practically gave you everything you needed.

Suddenly, hands came over his glasses, covering his vision. Tezuka sighed. "Mizushima, I know it's you."

"Aww…" Karin groaned in frustration as she removed her hands and sat down next to him, waiting for her train. "What's that you're reading?"

He handed her the brochure without saying a word. She blinked and flipped through it, her eyes scanning the pages quickly. Tezuka's eyes couldn't help but trail to her features as she skimmed through the passages; her face was outlined with the setting sun's orange rays and her ocean blue eyes shone with the light, making her eye color lighter than what it really is.

"You're gonna study abroad?" Karin asked. Tezuka blinked and regained his composure quickly. "I don't have an answer yet; Ryuzaki-sensei gave me the papers today."

"You're going home to talk it over with your family then?" Karin closed the brochure and handed it to him. He nodded.

"Hmm, good luck deciding then," Karin stood as her train started to stop in front of them. Tezuka and Karin take different trains home.

"Thank you," Tezuka managed to blurt out as Karin walked into the train and out of sight. He sighed.

Now in the comfort of his home, Tezuka, in his casual clothing, lied on his bed in his room, staring up at the ceiling. He'd discussed it with his parents and grandfather, about studying abroad, and they just said that whatever he chose would be good; that they would support him regardless. So he was left to choose for himself.

And he couldn't concentrate.

"California International…" Tezuka shook his head and tossed it to the opposite end of his bed. He picked up another and held it in front of him. He couldn't help but crack a small smile.

"Florida Institute…" he actually opened it and began reading through it. There was a school in Orlando, Tampa, Tallahassee and…Miami.

_Maybe I can visit Mizushima while I'm..._ he caught himself thinking such an absurd thought. _What am I thinking…? _

He tossed the magazine to where the California one was and sighed. He placed both his hands under his head for support and stared up at the ceiling. He couldn't focus. He told himself to focus but couldn't; Karin and her silly antics were swimming through his head, distracting him fully.

Letting out a frustrated breath, he took off his glasses, placed them on the nightstand next to him and placed his left arm over his eyes and his right rested on his belly. Why couldn't he focus? He was in his quiet room with no distractions, so why?

"_You're gonna study abroad?" _

Her voice rang in his ears. His cheeks flushed at the mere thought of it. Why was he feeling like one of those guys in sappy romance movies? He'd honestly never felt like this before…it was strange because he's been feeling like this recently; just randomly; yet it felt good to sit back and think; just let his problems: pained elbow, tennis, school, rivals, everything; melt away and just think about her…that sweet smile and big, extravagant blue eyes and funny personality…

"Kunimitsu,"

Tezuka's thoughts were interrupted when his mother walked in out of the blue. She stood at the door; her black hair was let down today, it cascaded on her back and framed her slate grey eyes; though, since he wasn't wearing his glasses, his mother's figure was blurry.

"Yes, okaa-san?"

"I've called you to go downstairs for dinner three times," she said softly. "You didn't hear me?"

Tezuka sat up on the bed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, no, I didn't." As he sat down on the edge of the bed, putting on his glasses, his mother walked over and took one of the magazines he'd tossed.

"Have you decided yet?" she asked, looking through it. When she got no answer, she glared at her son who was still sitting on the bed, rolled up the magazine and hit him on the head with it. He grunted in surprise and looked up at her.

"I'm talking to you, young man," she said sharply. "I expect an answer."

"I'm sorry, okaa-san…" he trailed off. "I haven't decided; I'm…distracted."

"How so?" she asked. Tezuka shrugged and stood up, almost towering over his mother, for he's taller than her; she's 5 foot 2 while he's 5 foot 10. _Mizushima is also 5 foot 2… _he thought.

"It's nothing," he wasn't about to tell his mother his feelings, that's embarrassing. He made his way to the bedroom door to walk out, but his mother beat him to it; blocked the door and closed it. Tezuka knew his mother far too well; her motherly instincts were kicking in.

"You're not leaving this room until you tell me what's wrong," she stated, crossing her arms over her chest. Tezuka sighed. "It's nothing, okaa-san,"

"Lie to me one more time and you're grounded," her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Tezuka ceased his eyebrows. There was no way around Tezuka Ayana. She simply just _knew_ when someone was lying; if she simply knew or if Tezuka was a bad liar was beyond him.

"Okaa-san…promise me you won't say anything to otou-san or ojii-san," Tezuka pleaded. Ayana's eyes softened and her arms rested on her sides. She somehow knew he was troubled. "I promise,"

Tezuka sat down on his bed and his mother sat down next to him. She gave him a warm smile. "Ramble all you want, sweetie, I'm here."

Tezuka let out a sigh. "I…don't know how to say it…"

"Just talk," Ayana said. "What's it about? Tennis, school…?"

"Do you remember…when Mizushima-san, ojii-san's police friend, came to our house?"

"Yes," Ayana nodded. "Satoshi-san; what about him?"

"Do you remember his granddaughter…?" he said slowly; he knew at this point, his mother would catch his drift.

"Yes; Karin-chan, I remember…" Ayana trailed off as she watched her son glance up at her. His cheeks started to glow in a rosy color and his eyes swam with confusion; for he had no idea what he was feeling; being a stern and unemotional teenager and all.

"Wait…" Ayana finally started to get it, and Tezuka looked down at the carpeted floor under his feet while a smile began to rise on his mother's features. "You like her!"

"Hnn…" he wasn't in denial; he was just confused.

"Aww!" she coed and hugged her son. "I'm so proud of you, Kunimitsu!"

"You're not helping…"

"Sorry," she let go of him and smiled sweetly. "Tell me how this all started, Kunimitsu; sometimes that helps." She held his hand reassuringly. Tezuka sighed heavily and began his story.

Tezuka was surprised that he was actually opening up to his mother, something that he would never do with anyone, even less with his father and his grandfather; they would honestly tease him endlessly about his feelings for Karin. He knew his mother would keep it a secret until he got his emotions in check again.

He explained how he first met her. How she disrespected him in front of the team. Then he found out they were in the same class and his teacher unfortunately sat her down on the desk next to his. He explained how she would always flick papers and erasers at him for no reason at all and how they would pass insignificant notes to each other and the teacher would always catch them, being in the front row (Tezuka left out what the conversations were though; he didn't feel like getting into a lecture about boners and cow nipples and water buffalos with his mother). He then explained how she's wasted almost all of his allowance on Snapple; right then and there was when his mother realized why he'd randomly took a liking to the iced tea that now sat in the refrigerator. Tezuka then explained how she's an amazing tennis player and how she copies moves and makes her own and how she doesn't care about losing. He also explained what her Royal Play was and how it worked and how it's an amazing technique. Then he went off to explain how complex and unpredictable her personality is; how she's energetic and random and crazy yet sweet and intelligent and a good friend. He told his mother about the various nicknames he has for him: Ka-zu-te, Te-zu-ka (he explained her habit of splitting names into syllables), Te-heh-heh-Tezuka, weirdo, dork, and so forth. Ayana asked if he was offended by these names but with a tiny smile, he replied no.

He then went off to explain the more recent things. He explained how he and Karin had a match under the rain, in which he got in trouble for and was cancelled. He explained how he defeated Lucky Sengoku with a cramped leg and Ibu Shinji with an injured eye. Tezuka even managed to squeeze in the fact that she calls him blind and has stolen his glasses and worn them. He explained how they played in the Ranking matches and how they finished off their previous match. He won, but she played evenly and she took her loss just fine. He admired her personality for not caring about winning, just the fact that you had fun and learned a thing or two.

He then got into the personal things; like the time she numbed his elbow joints when he was in pain (he explained her mother's working on being a therapist) and how she cares for his well-being and tells him not to stress out his elbow more. He then, sadly, told her how the other day he had yelled at Karin; he admitted to his mother that his jealousy got in the way of his reasoning; the way that Kirihara guy got all of her attention made him angry (jealous). He apologized afterwards though and she forgave him. He explained how he looked up at her from under his glasses and cursed at his glasses for not being in the correct spot at the time, for her face at that moment was a masterpiece, but unfortunately, it remained blurry in his memory. He also explained to his mother that after their match, when he shook her hand, he couldn't let it go; he was embarrassed to admit that her hand was really soft.

He told his mother that she has a Russian blue cat named Jewel that likes him as much as she likes her owner, and she has a German shepherd dog named Ramesses; which she'd named after Ramesses the Second, Pharaoh of Egypt. He also told her that Karin was born in America; Miami Beach, Florida to be exact, and that she speaks fluent Spanish since she explained that there are many Latin-Americans in Miami and that it is required to learn the language in school to pass. And he told his mother that she speaks English like she was an American with no notable Japanese accent, and vice-versa when she's speaking Japanese. Her English tends to slip out from time to time.

"And there's many things I still don't know about her; stupid things really, but things that I'd like to know like her favorite color and her favorite subjects…well math isn't one of them; and her hobbies…" Tezuka looked over at his mother, who was still listening.

"Am I boring you?" he asked. Ayana laughed softly. "Not at all," she smiled. "It's just that I've never seen you like this; so passionate about something that isn't tennis."

"That's another thing," he sighed. "Mizushima's becoming somewhat of a distraction; I can't think about tennis without thinking of her…"

"That's good," Ayana ran her hand up and down his back soothingly. "You need something else to think about; it can't be all about tennis."

"I guess…" Tezuka muttered and met his mother's stormy grey eyes. "What do you suggest I do?"

"Well, you said you want to get to know her better," Ayana said thoughtfully. "The only way to get to know someone better, especially a girl…well, you can figure it out, it's not rocket science."

"But what if she says no?" Tezuka didn't feel like getting rejected. Ayana smiled. "Kunimitsu, Karin-chan won't reject you; girls always give a good guy like you a chance; you'll do fine."

Tezuka let out a sigh while his mother flipped through another magazine that was left on his bed. "So now that you got your head cleared up, have you decided on what to do?"

"I'm not going," was his quick reply.

"Are you sure; these schools seem very good,"

"I know, but I prefer to stay with Seigaku and lead Seigaku to the Nationals just like I promised,"

"And for Karin-chan," Ayana winked at him, ruffling his hair. Tezuka blushed. "Okaa-san…"

She kissed his cheek. "Come eat dinner, sweetie."


	40. Tezuka Smiles

Karin sighed heavily as she walked down the hallways to the tennis courts for practice. Classes had just ended and Karin was bored in class, but more than usual because Tezuka wasn't present. He had come that morning to report in, but he had a note from Coach Ryuzaki saying he needed to attend some tennis thing to pick the new order of the schools that Seigaku would be playing in tournaments to come.

Already changed into her tennis uniform, she walked towards the courts. As she walked by the water fountains, she noticed Tezuka was there drinking water. Taking this precious moment, she quietly tip-toed towards him. He still hadn't sensed her presence, so she tapped him on the left shoulder and then quickly moved to the right side of him. Childish; but that's just an understatement when you're speaking of Karin.

As a force of habit he looked towards his left and saw no one. While he was in the state of confusion, Karin tapped his right shoulder and placed her finger in front of his face. When he turned, he practically walked into the trap and Karin's finger poked his cheek. She giggled. "Gotcha,"

He sighed and turned off the water faucet. Karin poked his arm continuously. "You meanie! You left me in class the whole day; it was so boring!"

"Aren't I boring?" Tezuka raised a curious brow. Karin realized what he'd stated and merely blushed in embarrassment. "I didn't mean it like that you dork, I meant that…well; yes it was boring without you even though you yourself are boring."

"That doesn't make any sense," Tezuka rolled his eyes while Karin laughed. As she did, Tezuka's eyes traveled to her features again. Oh how he loved that smile. He then got the craziest idea. Since today Ryuzaki is planning out the playing order against their new opponents, Hyotei Academy, they were still required to attend practice but they were leaving earlier, therefore…

"Uh…Mizushima…?" he cursed at himself for stammering, but he couldn't help it; he was new to this.

"Yeah?" Karin smiled. Tezuka held the urge to blush as he rubbed the back of his neck while looking to his left. His mother told him eye contact was crucial, but he knew himself better than anybody; he was going to chicken out if he met Karin's ocean blue eyes.

"I—You know the school we're going up against right…? Hyotei…?"

"Yeah, the snotty rich-kid school and the one where that Atobe dude goes too," Karin scoffed. "Yeah; Sumire-chan told me already, why?"

"Um…" he mumbled. "We—the club—is leaving earlier than usual so…"

"Yeah…?" Karin started to bounce slightly on her feet, meaning she was impatient. Tezuka panicked._ Just say it!_

"Uh…well; I was wondering if—" he was cut off.

"Hoi hoi~! Karin-chan nya~!" Kikumaru popped out of nowhere, hugging Karin from the back.

Karin laughed. "You scared me Eiji!"

"Sorry nya~! I'm excited!" he hopped around. "Come play a match against me! I wanna try out a new acrobatic move and I need your Royal Play!"

"You know it tires me out, Eiji," Karin smiled. Eiji pouted. "Please! Just for a minute!"

"Ok, ok," Karin looked back at Tezuka. "Talk to you later, Ka-zu-te," and with that, she ran off with Kikumaru; leaving Tezuka's glasses to flash, meaning he was slightly annoyed. _Anything Kikumaru does wrong; its 20 laps…_ he thought bitterly.

"It's so weird, going home at this time…" Fuji sighed as he swung his bag over his shoulder. Oishi nodded. "Yeah, we normally leave at six p.m.…"

"Yeah," Karin smiled. It was currently 4:30 p.m., so they'd only practiced for an hour and a half. The sun wasn't even setting, so it was unspeakably early.

"Well, see you Monday, Karin-chan!" Fuji and Oishi waved as they walked away. Karin smiled and waved as well; today was Friday. Karin soon walked towards the school gates, only to run into Tezuka, who was also walking towards the gates.

"Not staying overtime, nerd?" Karin joked. Tezuka shook his head. "No, it's Ryuzaki-sensei's job to choose the playing order,"

"By the way, what was it that you wanted to say to me?" Karin raised an eyebrow and didn't fail to notice that Tezuka's cheeks flushed a bit. _Why's he blushing?_ Karin thought. _Wait…is he trying to…?_

Tezuka gulped and rubbed the back of his neck. An all-knowing spark shined in her eyes as she smirked. _He makes it so obvious,_ she thought, but then her expression softened. _It's…kinda cute…_

"I was wondering…since we got out of practice early…" Tezuka started to stammer. "If…"

"Yeah?"

"If you're…doing anything…now—right now?" he asked, meeting her eyes this time. Karin blinked and shook her head. "Not really; why?"

_Why is this so hard?_ He cleared his throat. "Well…do you…want…t-to go somewhere…?"

"Go somewhere as in…you and me?"

"H-Hnn…" Tezuka watched her expression, trying to trace any negative response; but it was quite the opposite.

"Sure!" Karin smiled. "Where to?"

Tezuka was speechless. His heart started to beat wildly and his cheeks flushed.

Karin giggled at his silence. "Didn't think you'd get this far?"

"No…" Tezuka mumbled. Karin couldn't help but let out a laugh. He was so cute! She never thought he had it in him; to ask a girl out…especially her.

"Well then, let's just walk around and see where it takes us," Karin offered. "Sound good?"

"H-Hnn…" Tezuka nodded slowly.

They walked down the sidewalk in silence. Karin kept glancing around and Tezuka kept his glance to his moving feet. _Start a conversation you idiot!_ He told himself. _You know Mizushima; she has a low attention span!_

"Uh…do you like…music…?" _What a stupid question; nice going Kunimitsu._

"Yeah, I like rock and stuff," Karin shrugged. "I've always been weird; I always like things others don't like but I don't care, it makes me unique."

"You're not weird," he blurted out. Karin laughed. "Not that kind of weird; I mean the good type of weird,"

"Ah…" Tezuka nodded; that means: 'I understand' in his language.

"So what kind of music do you like?" Karin asked. Tezuka shrugged. "Anything, I'm not picky."

"Cool," Karin smiled. They then shared another moment of silence.

"How's your elbow?" Karin asked. Tezuka glanced at her and nodded, cupping said joint in his right hand. "It hasn't hurt in a while."

"Good, don't strain it too much alright?" Karin advised. "The doctor said it was healed; don't mess it up."

"Hnn," Tezuka nodded. "Is your mother doing well in becoming a therapist?"

"Last time I called her; she passed her tests, so I'm guessing she's doing good," Karin nodded. "I think now she needs some experience with real patients; not sure though."

"Ah,"

"So what do we do now?" Karin raised an eyebrow. Tezuka looked away and shrugged. "The park…?"

"Isn't this the park that you bought me the first Snapple?" Karin asked thoughtfully as she pushed herself gently on the swing. They both sat on side-by-side swings. Tezuka was just sitting and Karin was pushing herself softly with her feet. Tezuka blinked and nodded. "Hnn; it is."

"Wow memories, huh?" Karin smiled. Tezuka looked down at his feet and nodded. "Hnn…"

"I think I still have the bottle cap," Karin rummaged through her tennis bag. Tezuka watched her calmly as she quickly pulled out a Snapple cap. "Here it is!"

Taking it in his hand, Tezuka flipped it over and read it aloud: "The Sun is hot."

"What a fail," Karin laughed. Tezuka's eyes softened as his fingers toyed with the cap. "Mizushima?"

"Hmm?" she looked over. Tezuka showed her the cap. "Do you mind if I keep this?"

"You bought it; by all means," Karin shrugged with a smirk. Tezuka smiled softly and put the cap in his pocket. They sat in silence. The hum of the soft breeze and the sound of the swing creaking were the only things heard as the silence and peace of the park overwhelmed them.

"Oh yeah," Karin said suddenly, making Tezuka glance at her. "Are you gonna study abroad?"

Just thinking about it made the pleasant memory of finally realizing his feelings for Karin pour into his head again; how his mother listened and how he rambled endlessly of the girl he'd come to admire.

"I declined the offer,"

She gasped. "Why? Those schools looked kick-ass."

"They were," he hadn't realized he'd let out a small smile, something Karin didn't fail to notice. "But I'd rather stay in Seigaku and go to the Nationals—"

"You just smiled," Karin blinked. Tezuka's eyes widened and he looked away, attempting to hide his blush. His silence made Karin giggle. "Your smile was so adorable; you should smile more!" Karin watched him turn his head to meet her glance. "You really think so?" he asked sincerely.

"Yeah! You looked so cute!" Karin laughed. "Smile again! Smile again!"

"Uh…" Tezuka's smile is something that is brought out of him; not something he can do willingly…oddly enough, Karin has the ability to do so…

"C'mon; smile!" Karin urged. She made sounds equivalent to what a one-year old baby would do, and to her pleasure, Tezuka smiled softly at her foolishness; his shoulders moved in an inaudible chuckle.

"Ah; there it is!" Karin cooed. "Your smile is so cute!"

"Thank you Mizushima," Tezuka looked down at his feet again, his eyes in a soft gaze.

"You do know you can call me Karin, right?"

His glance quickly shot up to meet hers. Karin was smirking with a chocolate brown eyebrow raised curiously. "You're the only one on the team that doesn't call me by my name."

"Uh, well…you can call me by my name too…" Tezuka blurted out. Karin's confused expression made him stammer. "If-If y-you want t-too; if y-you don't, that's fine too—"

"Kunimitsu,"

Tezuka's blush could be seen from Karin's hometown. He met her eyes in an almost endless stare into oblivion.

"Karin," he said. The owner of said name smiled. "That's better!"

The sun was now setting; the rays that it cast over the neighborhood looked like an oversized orange blanket. Tezuka and Karin walked down the sidewalk; Tezuka insisted that he'd walk her home.

"Here we are," Karin stopped in front of the gate that led to her house. Almost instantly, Ramesses was at the gate, wagging his tail happily at the sight of his owner.

"Hnn," Tezuka managed to let out. He glanced at Ramesses and petted his head through the bars. In response, the German shepherd barked happily. He remembered him.

"Well, see ya," Karin opened the gate and closed it. Ramesses quickly nuzzled his snout into one of Karin's hands, telling her to pet him. She did so and she then turned to go into the house when…

"Karin?"

She turned to see Tezuka still standing there; behind the gate.

"Yeah?" she blinked. The bespectacled teenager looked into her eyes. He was confident this time.

"Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

"Not really," Karin responded. His glasses flashed with the sun's rays. "Will you go on a…date with me?"

Karin's eyes widened slightly, but she smiled. "Sure, what time?"

"Noon?" Tezuka questioned. His heart felt like it wanted to just burst out of his chest; but he kept his expression firm. No show of shyness or weakness.

"Ok!" Karin smiled. Tezuka nodded. "Can I come and pick you up?"

"My grandpa's retired from being a police; he doesn't have any guns; if that's what you're wondering," Karin smirked as she petted Ramesses' head. "And Ramesses won't bite your face off."

Tezuka couldn't help but let out a small smile. "Alright, I'll be here at noon."

"See ya tomorrow," Karin winked at him and walked onto the porch and opened the door, letting Ramesses in. She turned her head to see him still standing there. She playfully stuck her tongue out at him and then shut the door.

Tezuka only smiled.

**Extended Ending**

"Okaa-san!" Tezuka practically stormed into the kitchen where his mother was. He was acting like a child, as Ryuzaki stated, but he couldn't help it.

Ayana turned to him sharply and placed a hand over her heart. "Kunimitsu, you scared me! What is it?"

Tezuka got closer to her and in a whisper: "I asked her out on a date; she said yes!"

Ayana gasped and clapped her hands together. "Really? I'm so proud of you!"

"What's with all this commotion?" Kuniharu appeared at the entrance of the kitchen with his father Kunikazu or just Kazu.

Tezuka cleared his throat, stoning his expression. "I was telling okaa-san that I passed my algebra exam with a perfect score." Maybe he isn't such a bad liar.

"Wow, someone's smart!" Kuniharu patted him on the back. "Keep at it, son!"

"Hnn," Tezuka nodded sternly. Kazu nodded. "That's good to hear, Kunimitsu," he rolled his eyes with a sigh. "I wonder when the day that you'll bring a girl home will come…"

Ayana smiled. "Soon!"

"Shh!" Tezuka hushed sharply. Kuniharu turned his head curiously. "Did you say something Ayana?" He blinked at his wife and son as Kazu left the kitchen, for his old-people deafness was getting to him.

"I didn't say anything," Ayana blinked in surprise. Kuniharu shrugged and walked out of the kitchen. Once Ayana and her son heard the television turn on, Ayana giggled. "At what time?"

"Noon," Tezuka responded quickly. His mother smacked his arm playfully, carefully choosing to smack his right arm. "What are you doing standing here! Go pick out what you're going to wear!"

"Oh right…" was Tezuka's intelligent reply. As he walked out of the kitchen, he looked back at his mother. "Thank you, okaa-san,"

"Anytime sweetie," Ayana smiled tenderly.


	41. It's A Date!

Tezuka sighed heavily as he walked closer and closer to the Mizushima house. Of course, leaving his house on a Saturday with no tennis bag raised the suspicions of his grandfather and father, but his mother managed to stall their attentions long enough for him to slip out of the house. He didn't feel like getting teased that morning; he was incredibly nervous. He didn't want to make a fool out of himself in front of Karin; sure, she'd find it funny or cute but still…

Last night he had picked something to wear; he went casual, since Karin and he share common ground when it comes to clothing. He wore a casual light blue dress shirt with a dark blue unbuttoned over coat, but the shirt's sleeves were longer than the coat's, so he rolled them up a bit. He also wore beige pants and sneakers.

He opened the gate leading to the house. Ramesses was nowhere in sight, meaning he was inside or in the backyard. Tezuka approached the front door and after he collected his thoughts, he rang the doorbell. He waited for a few seconds until Mizushima Jun, Karin's grandmother, answered the door.

"Ah, Tezuka-kun, good afternoon," she smiled. "Please come in."

With a nod, Tezuka walked in. He looked around subconsciously; Jun noticed this and smiled.

"She's getting ready," Jun said. "She'll be down in a minute."

"Hnn," Tezuka nodded. "Is Mizushima-san here? My mother asked me to send her regards."

"Karin rubbed it off on him," Jun rolled her eyes with a smile. "He's still asleep."

Tezuka nodded and spotted Jewel's elegant form pouncing over to him. She started to rub her up-stretched back on his leg.

"That's odd," Jun blinked. "Jewel never likes anyone that isn't Karin."

"Hnn," Tezuka took Jewel in his arms, making her purr.

"I'M READY!" Karin came down the stairs by sliding/sitting on the stair's railing. As she got to her feet, Jun gasped. "Karin, be careful,"

"Sorry, obaa-chan," she smiled and then smiled at Tezuka. "Hey, Kuni,"

"Hey," Tezuka nodded and blinked. _Kuni…?_

"Jewel's all up on you like always," Karin took Jewel from his arms and gave her to Jun. "Give her food obaa-chan; she hasn't eaten yet,"

"I will," Jun nodded. "Have fun."

Karin nodded and quickly slipped on her shoes. Just like Tezuka thought, she wore casual designer attire: she wore a red checkered shirt that was rolled up to her elbows; it was only buttoned halfway up, so the top part of her white spaghetti strap shirt was visible. She wore skinny jeans with a white spiked belt and red Vans. Once she was ready, the two walked out of the house and then out of the gate.

"So, where are we gonna go, Kuni?" Karin smiled. Tezuka glanced at her. "Kuni?"

"Yeah!" Karin shrugged with a smirk. "Can I call you that? It's cute!"

"Sure," Tezuka nodded. Karin hummed. "So where we gonna go?"

"Wherever you'd like," Tezuka said. Karin smirked. "I heard there's an aquarium in the city, can we go there?"

"Sure," Tezuka nodded. "You like animals, don't you?"

"I love animals!" Karin smiled. "I just have a thing for them; my mom tells me that a lot,"

"I can see that. Jewel and Ramesses seem very attached to you," he said. Karin smiled. "So can we go? Please!"

Tezuka nodded. "I'll take you, don't worry,"

"Yay!" Karin beamed happily.

The two took the train to get to the city. The ride was quiet, judging by Tezuka's usually quiet character but Karin would usually ask something like: "why do dogs smell each other's butts?" and then get weird glances from the people sitting next to them. Tezuka blushed at the weird glances the people shot at them but he figured Karin would try to embarrass him at some point; that's one of the many things you have to expect when with Karin.

When they got off the train, they walked a few blocks until they reached a building that had a fountain with a twirling marble-carved dolphin spilling water out of its mouth. On the sign on top of the building, it said: Tokyo Aquarium.

"This is so cool!" Karin looked around curiously as Tezuka paid for the entrance.

"Let's go," Tezuka tapped her on the shoulder. Karin smiled and followed him into the darkened, narrow hallway. The whole thing was practically a giant fish tank. All the fish and other sea creatures swam peacefully in the clear blue waters.

"That fish is so cute!" Karin tapped the glass, pointing at a small sized fish with an orange and silver design. Tezuka leaned into the tank, observed the peaceful fish and quickly recognized it.

"That's a Pumpkinseed," Tezuka said calmly. Karin looked back at him, eyes wide. "How do you know?"

"I've caught them many times," he stated. "Fishing is one of my hobbies."

"That's cool, you never told me that!" Karin looked back at the tank. Tezuka couldn't help but look at her illuminated face. Her eyes shined and looked as though they were made of the ocean's crystal blue waters and her features were outlined beautifully with the glow of the surrounding tanks.

"I've seen that fish somewhere before…" Karin's voice snapped him out of his trance. He looked over to see a long smooth scaled fish with sharp teeth and very ugly face. Karin tapped the glass in thought. "From _Finding Nemo_; I know that fish!"

"That's a barracuda," Tezuka raised an eyebrow. Karin snapped her fingers. "Yes! That ugly-ass fish was the one who ate Marlin's other eggs and Coral!" Karin pouted. "I hate him!"

"What are you talking about?" Tezuka asked. Karin glanced over at him. "_Finding Nemo_! The cutest movie in the whole world!" Karim smiled. "One of my favorite movies _ever_!"

Seeing her smile, Tezuka's eyes softened and so did his expression. He didn't fail to realize that Karin's face illuminated by the fish tanks, glowed a bit red.

"Can you smile for me?" Karin pleaded with a grin, a small blush on her cheeks. "Please, your smile's really cute!"

"Why?" was his intelligent reply. Karin smiled almost shyly, something he'd never seen before. She tapped her left cheek. "You have dimples when you smile."

He couldn't help but blush. He avoided eye contact. "R-Really…?"

"Yeah," Karin grinned. "C'mon, I heard there're sharks in the next room." She took his hand and led him to the next part of the aquarium. At the contact, Tezuka didn't even know where he was being led too. Her hands were so soft; just like the day of the ranking matches.

"What's that fish?" Karin suddenly stopped, pointing at an orange, white and black fish. "I think I've seen it somewhere…"

Tezuka was silent as he stared in the direction she'd pointed in. He jumped and blushed all at the same time when she squeezed his hand. "Kuni, are you ok?"

He cleared his throat. "That's a Koi fish; Japan's known for it."

"Fish nerd much?" Karin giggled, making him blush lightly. She caressed his hand with hers. "I'm just kidding, ya know."

He nodded quickly. "Hnn…"

Tezuka realized that Karin really didn't mind holding hands with him. As they walked down the various glowing tanks, they would go hand in hand. It wasn't anything serious, just a simple holding hand technique; his hand was cupping hers gently. Both Karin and Tezuka came to the conclusion that it actually happened naturally, seeing as sometimes Karin would take out her iPhone to take a picture of a shark she found awesome and she would put it away and they would naturally lock hands together.

"That was fun!" Karin exclaimed as they both walked out of the aquarium. Tezuka nodded and lifted his free hand and glanced at his watch.

"It's still early," he stated and looked at her. "What else would you like to do?"

"Can we watch a movie?" Karin asked. Tezuka rolled his eyes with an almost invisible smirk. "They're not putting _Finding Nemo_."

"I know!" Karin laughed. "We'll see what other movies there are."

They walked a few more blocks until they got to the movie theatre. They went inside and looked up at the movie posters.

"That one looks retarded…" Karin pointed at one that had giraffes on it. Tezuka waited patiently as Karin looked back and forth from the movie posters until her big blue eyes stopped on one.

"No way; they put anime in the theatres?" Karin jumped up and down, pointing at the poster. "I wanna watch this!"

"Spirited Away?" Tezuka squinted. "That's kind of an old movie. I remember it came out a few years ago."

"It says here it made a comeback," Karin read the poster. "The movie got a lot of ratings and they put the movie back up in the theatres for a limited time."

"Hnn," Tezuka nodded. Karin grinned widely. "Can we watch it? Please!"

Tezuka nodded. The two went to the ticket booth and Tezuka paid for the tickets and then bought a bag of popcorn and a large soda.

"Let's sit here!" Karin plopped herself on the seat: midway from the screen, in the middle of the row. Tezuka sat next to her. With the bag of popcorn on her lap, Karin brought a few to her mouth and ate them. She snuck a glance at the teenager sitting next to her. He was looking straight forward at the theatre's screen, as if reading the warning of turning off their phones or whatever but his eyes weren't moving; meaning he was merely in a daze. At that moment, Karin decided she'll help him out; sure they'd already held hands but she knew he wouldn't be one to bust a move on her.

"Kuni…" Karin slid closer to him. He didn't notice this action, but did hear her call. "Hnn?"

She got a little closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. She felt him jump slightly, making her smirk in response. "I'm cold in here."

Tezuka was silent for a few moments but Karin was relieved when he caught her drift and hesitantly put his arm around her shoulders, bringing her close. "Better?"

"Yup," she said happily.

The movie finally started. Like it had happened to Karin many times before, she and Tezuka ate the popcorn during the previews so they were all out by the time the movie came up. Tezuka would've offered to get more but since Karin didn't ask, he wasn't going to risk being moved from the comfortable position he was in.

The lights dimmed and the movie began to play.

"Damn, that old hag as a big ass head," Karin snickered. Tezuka smirked. They'd seen a quarter of the movie already. Normally, he would be in a bad mood because he was watching something as childish as anime but he was with Karin and somehow, she made watching such a childish cartoon fun.

"What's that spirit's name?" Tezuka whispered. Karin blinked. "No-Face I think; it's probably some evil spirit or whatever. It looks pretty creepy."

"Hnn," Tezuka nodded. "But if he's a ghost, how come he can get into a bathtub?"

"It's anime, Kuni. You can pull an elephant out of your ass and get away with it."

Tezuka couldn't help but cover his mouth with his free hand and muffle his chuckle, for the people behind them have told them to shut up more than five times.

"I'm completely cereal; look!" Karin whispered. "The dude's a dragon now; pretty awesome looking dragon if you ask me but that's not the point," Karin laughed quietly. "The old hag's son is freakin' obese; he looks like a blob."

"Karin stop," Tezuka's features were brought up in a smirk.

"Shh!" the people behind them shushed for the tenth time.

"Oh my god those people are so annoying," Karin rolled her eyes. "Apparently they've never been to a movie theatre where I live." Cell phones go off with obnoxious ringtones, people talk about everyday situations, kids spill their popcorn and cry, a Spanish-speaking old couple grandfather ask their grandchildren what the hell's going on in the movie, ect.

Soon, the movie ended. The people who sat behind them glared daggers as they walked out of the theatre; but Karin merely giggled and Tezuka rolled his eyes.

Now they walked down the sidewalk, for they'd left the city already. The sun was setting, emitting orange rays that illuminated the neighborhood that they both lived in. Again, they held hands; Karin swinging them forward and backward in a playful manner. Tezuka didn't mind.

"Kuni; you like to fish right?" Karin asked suddenly. Tezuka nodded. "Yes, I do,"

"Can we go fishing?" Karin asked. "It looks fun!"

"Sure," Tezuka shrugged but then caught his breathe, for an idea popped into his head. "But there's a catch." They do this in romance movies right?

"Ok? What's that?"

"You have to wake up early to go fishing,"

"Define _early_."

"Five in the morning,"

"Crap," Karin pouted. She then shrugged. "Fine; you're gonna bring everything right? The rods and stuff?"

"Hnn," Tezuka nodded. Karin rolled her eyes. They continued to walk in silence until they reached Karin's house.

"Here's my house," Karin stopped at the gate and faced Tezuka. She smiled and so did he. He realized that he has become more open with Karin. He actually smiled with her now.

"I had an awesome day, Kunimitsu," Karin smiled softly; the orange rays glowed on her face, making her eyes glimmer. Tezuka nodded quickly. "So did I,"

Karin smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. Tezuka blushed brightly, but brought his arms around her and hugged her. They embraced each other until Karin parted their contact. She smiled. "See ya,"

She opened the gate and walked to the front door. She looked back, saw him standing there still. She smiled at him and then walked into her house. Now inside the house, Karin looked through the peep hole until she saw him walk away, which was a few moments after she'd gone into the house. Once he was out of her field of vision, she sighed and took out her iPhone. She placed the alarm for 5:00 a.m.


	42. The Perfect Day

It was still dusk outside, for the sun still hadn't risen. Karin quietly got dressed, wearing khaki Bermuda shorts, and an orange t-shirt. She went downstairs. Luckily, Jewel was left sleeping on Karin's bed so she wouldn't follow her down the stairs and Ramesses was also in her room, sleeping on the rug.

_I went out; don't worry. –Karin :)_

Karin clicked the pen and put the note on the counter. She went to the front door, slipped on her low-cut black converse sneakers and made her way out, gently closing the door. She turned, only to see Tezuka leaning against the gate, waiting for her. He was wearing a green hiking shirt that had two pockets on his chest and the sleeves were rolled up midway up his forearms. He wore brown pants and brown shoes.

"How long have you been here?" Karin asked, opening the gate, stepping out and closing it. Tezuka looked over. "Good morning to you too, and I just got here."

"It isn't morning if the sun isn't out," Karin pouted. Tezuka rolled his eyes but his lips tugged in a smirk. "Let's go," he handed her a backpack. "You take this."

"Ok," Karin swung it on her shoulders and walked side by side. Sadly, he was carrying the fishing rods in both hands.

Tezuka and Karin took the train. It was empty, since it was so early in the morning. After about a ten minute ride, they got off and Tezuka led her into a huge natural park. The park was empty, seeing as it was so early. Karin figured it was one of those public parks that are free and you can enter at any time you want. After walking for a few minutes, Tezuka took a turn off the path and into the dew sprinkled grass.

"Where are you going?" Karin asked. Tezuka walked into the small forest of brush and trees. "I'm going to the fishing spot." Tezuka kept walking. Karin followed him.

"But the path is that way," Karin hopped over a log. Tezuka gently pushed a tree branch out of his way. "I know that." He stopped suddenly, making Karin bump into his back. He stepped aside and let her through. She pushed leaves and branches out of her face and her eyes widened when she saw a beautiful, though dark, lake. In the distant horizon, there was the silhouette of mountains but they weren't that huge compared to others yet they were beautiful. Surrounding the lake were cherry blossom trees that hadn't bloomed yet since it was so early.

"My grandfather would always take me to this spot to fish," Tezuka said, snapping Karin from her daydream. "Not a lot of people know of this place since the trail is in the opposite direction."

"So your grandpa decided to be badass and go the other way?" Karin raised a brown brow with a smirk. Tezuka shrugged. "I asked him one day about how he found this place. He told me that he was chased by pigeons and ended up here."

Karin laughed. "Your grandpa's hilarious!"

Tezuka rolled his eyes and walked towards the lake. He placed the rods at the edge and motioned Karin, who was behind him, to give him the backpack. He opened it and pulled out a sky blue blanket. "Help me spread this out."

"Ok!" Karin took two of the edges and helped him lay it out. When it was on the bright green grass, she laid down on it and rolled around a few times. Tezuka watched her do so and shook his head with a smirk. Childish things like that would have annoyed him but now, said actions just amused him.

Tezuka sat down next to her and shook his head. "Having fun?"

"Hell yeah!" Karin sat up and grinned at him. "So when we gonna fish?"

"After the sun rises at…" he trailed off, glancing at his watch, "Around 6 o'clock."

"And what time is it now?"

"5:55,"

Karin nodded and sighed, looking at the dark lake. "This place is beautiful."

"It is," Tezuka nodded. He reached for the backpack and pulled out two Snapple bottles. "Want one?"

Karin gasped and snatched it from his hand. "Oh my god; you didn't tell me you had Snapple!"

"It was a surprise," Tezuka popped open his own peach flavored iced tea and flipped the cap over.

"Vanilla is the most popular ice-cream flavor," Tezuka read aloud. Karin scoffed. "That's bullshit; it's chocolate."

"I like vanilla," Tezuka raised an eyebrow. Karin shrugged and flipped over her cap and read it aloud: "Kissing for a minute can burn approximately six calories…" she blinked.

Tezuka blushed. Karin just laughed. "That's so weird," she smirked and rested her head on his shoulder, making him jump in surprise. "What do you think that means?"

"I have no idea…" Tezuka took a deep breath and gently put his arm around Karin's shoulders, just like in the movie theatre. Karin giggled. "Got the hang of things, huh?"

"I have a good teacher," Tezuka smirked. Karin took a sip of her Snapple. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Suddenly, small rays of orange and yellow light started to peek from the horizon and over the mountain peaks. Slowly but surely, the sun started to make its way up. The dusky sky was fortunately cloudless, so the sunrise was ten times more beautiful.

Karin at this moment realized why Tezuka had told her to wake up so early. He wanted to add to the fishing trip a sunrise to set the mood. It's something very cute to do; something that has Tezuka written all over it.

"It's so pretty," Karin smiled. She felt Tezuka's hand rest on her own. She blushed as he nodded and caressed her knuckles with his thumb. "Hnn, it is…" he trailed off to tap her shoulder. When she looked, he pointed at the cherry blossom trees surrounding them. The little pink buds started to slowly open; and when they did bloom completely, their intense rosy smell engulfed the environment. A breeze from the mountains swept through the trees, ruffling them and making the light pink blossoms separate from the branches they called home. Some of the tiny flowers ended up close by where they sat on the blanket. Karin watched Tezuka lean over and gently grasp three or four of the blossoms. He turned towards Karin and looked into her ocean blue eyes. He couldn't help but admire the sight of Karin's face; quizzical of what he was going to do. Her eyes shined brightly against the sun's peeking rays and the smell of the cherry blossoms was acting like a natural perfume for her.

He lifted his dominant hand and gently tucked Karin's chocolate brown hair behind her ear. He took the flowers and placed them onto her exposed ear. His fingers brushed against Karin's right cheek, which turned pink at the tender contact. Her heart skipped a beat and she gripped her khaki shorts in her fists. She simply couldn't look away from Tezuka's honey-brown eyes that hid behind his thin-rimmed glasses. Once he felt the flowers on her ear were in a perfect position, he smiled warmly; showing Karin the dimples she finds adorable on his cheeks.

"You're beautiful," he whispered. Karin's eyes shined with warmth and her lips rose in a soft smile. "…Thank you," she whispered back. Tezuka's eyes shined with affection, something that Karin would be the only person in the world to ever see such emotion in him. In reality, Tezuka realized that Karin, with her goofy, unpredictable and playful self, actually brought the emotions that were once bottled up inside him to finally reach the surface…and only for her.

Cupping her right cheek lovingly, he smiled softly. Karin returned said smile. She never thought that Tezuka could be so cute and loving. She'd always seen him as the strict, run-laps-or-die Seigaku tennis team captain but after going on that huge treasure hunt with her teasing and making him mad, she finally found the treasure chest that contained his feelings.

And that was the best treasure she ever found.

As if in sync, they both started to lean into each other at the same time. They both took their time, no need to rush an almost perfect moment. Little by little, Karin started to close her eyes. Through her eyelashes, she could somehow see him with his eyes partly closed as well. At this point, her eyes naturally eliminated the newly rays of light that erupted from the mountain peaks and just waited for it to happen.

Finally, their lips softly brushed against each other's. Running his thumb over her cheekbone, he slowly deepened the kiss. He never thought he would experience such a feeling before. Hell, he'd never even thought about kissing a girl in his life. He felt Karin's arms slowly rest on his shoulders and grip gently. This too was her first kiss.

Using the natural instincts he never thought he had, he tilted his head at an angle and lightly moved his lips against hers. He could feel his cheeks were red, and he could also feel Karin's cheek warm up under his hand, so he didn't feel that bad about blushing during his first kiss.

Their lips moved against each other slowly, in a tender and loving way. Karin's arms went from his shoulders to wrapping themselves around his neck. He felt her fingers run through the bottom part of his hair.

Slowly, they both started to pull away. They coincidently opened their eyes at the same exact moment and caught their glances. Karin couldn't help but smile softly, and Tezuka returned the gesture. Then, he couldn't help but let out a snicker.

"What?" Karin whispered, letting out a giggle. Tezuka looked into her eyes, a comedic look in them.

"We just burned six calories," he snickered again. Karin laughed. "If I was any other girl, I would've slapped the living crap out of you."

"But you're not like other girls," Tezuka smiled, leaning in and planting a soft kiss on her lips; something that surprised even himself. "And that's why I like you, Karin; you're different."

"You're so sweet. I like you too, Kunimitsu," Karin blushed. "That was my first kiss…"

"Mine too," he nodded.

The fishing part of the date was tossed aside and they just lay on the blanket, looking up at the cloudless sky; their hands locked together and fingers laced. The cherry blossom trees that surrounded them cast unwholesome shadows on their forms, so some of the sun's rays shined on them. Luckily, their eyes were protected by the trees' shadows.

"What's your favorite color?"

Karin hummed. "Blue and green; I can't decide between them so don't give me the: 'You have to pick one!' crap."

Tezuka chuckled. "Those are my favorite colors too," he sighed. "And your favorite subjects?"

"Is this the last dumb question?" Karin laughed, making Tezuka playfully glare at her. "Yes,"

"Ok. I love history and science; it's so easy!"

"What about math?" Tezuka chuckled. He knew the answer to this.

"Math can go suck it," Karin grimaced. "I hate it! The questions don't make sense!"

"What do you mean?"

"Mrs. What's-Her-Face has a llama with a diameter of 15.25 inches. Then she bought 10 pounds of llama food but she's Canadian, so she needs to see how many ounces 10 pounds is but _then_ she realized that there was 15% off on the llama food so because she's _extremely_ curious, she wants to find out what the regular price is. Find x."

Tezuka let out a laugh.

"It's not funny; it's sad what I have to go through!" Karin pouted but then, both of them started to laugh softly.

"What's your favorite food?" Karin asked. Tezuka shrugged. "My mom makes the best grilled eel,"

"Never tried that before," Karin raised her eyebrows. Tezuka turned his head towards her. "What about you?"

"I love the fettuccini that my mom makes with Alfredo sauce!" Karin sighed but then laughed. "But my dad doesn't like eating pasta because it reminds him of the retarded Bartolinis next door."

"You have Italian neighbors?" Tezuka asked. Karin nodded. "Yeah; they're so annoying!"

"And your dad doesn't like eating pasta because of that?" Tezuka raised an eyebrow. Karin nodded. "Yeah, he's so stupid sometimes."

"Karin, who's your dad? You've told me about your mom but never your dad," Tezuka said. Karin realized what she blurted out and sighed. "I—"

"If you don't want to talk about it that's fine; Ryuzaki-sensei said that you didn't want to say anything until you were ready or something like that."

"She said that?"

"Yeah; we were being curious and asked and she said that you were going to tell us," Tezuka nodded and lightly squeezed her hand. "But if you want to talk about it; you know I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you," Karin smiled weakly and sat up, hugging her legs to her chest with her arms. "But I think I've kept it a secret for too long…but I don't know how you guys will react…"

Tezuka's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I've technically lying to you guys all this time…" Karin said sadly. She didn't want to be hated or misunderstood.

Tezuka sat up and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Why lying?"

Karin sighed. "You know Namikaze Kaichi? The men's singles tennis player ranked No. 1 in the entire world? The one that's won three Grand Slams?"

"Of course," Tezuka nodded, but something clicked in the back of his head. He'd seen Namikaze before in magazines and TV and his eyes are a deep ocean blue…like Karin's.

"He's…He's my dad," Karin stammered. Tezuka's eyes widened slightly as he stared at her. Seeing the look on his face, she started to explain hysterically.

"I didn't want to lie to you or the team! I was just scared—"

"Scared of what?" he asked calmly.

"I don't hold a grudge against my dad or anything; I love him with my life. It's just that everywhere I go, kids my age become friends with me just because he's my dad and because they want to meet such a famous person and all that stuff," she explained. "When I came to Tokyo and enrolled in Seigaku, the school my dad used to go to with Echizen Nanjiro, I knew you guys would obviously know about him since 'Namikaze' is such a big name in Seigaku and in the tennis world especially in Japan since a Japanese tennis player has never risen to the top. I know Nanjiro rose to the top, but he never held his position like my dad."

Tezuka remained silent as she continued, soaking up her explanation. "I didn't want the same thing that happens to me in America or in other tennis hot-spot cities happen to me here; I wanted to make real friends that liked me for who I am and not because my dad's famous. So I changed my last name to 'Mizushima', which was my mom's name before she got married to my dad and disguised myself as Mizushima Karin."

Tezuka blinked. Karin sighed sadly. "I'm sorry for lying to you and the team; you're probably mad at me for—" Tezuka placed a soft kiss on her cheek to silence her.

"I'm not mad at you."

"You're not?" Karin asked. He shook his head. "Of course not, I understand why you did what you did and I could never be mad at you…and I don't think the team will get mad either."

Karin smiled weakly. "Thanks for understanding, Kunimitsu. You really are an awesome guy; I thought you were gonna get angry at me."

"I could never do that," Tezuka shook his head. "I love you for who you are."

Karin blushed. "You love me?"

Tezuka realized what he blurted out and nodded shyly, a dark blush appearing on his cheeks. "Hnn…"

"You're so cute," Karin smiled. Tezuka smiled softly and leaned in, giving her a kiss on the lips. "So your real name is…?"

"Namikaze Karin," she smiled. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"Hnn," Tezuka nodded. "So people become your friends just because of that? That's stupid."

"I know it's retarded," Karin scoffed. "I only have three real best friends that I met when we were in Kindergarten; and it's ironic because they're Japanese…well except Rin; she's half Japanese."

Tezuka nodded. "Are you going to tell the team?"

"Yeah; can you be there with me?" Karin asked, and then smirked. "Besides, we have to tell them about…you know…"

He blushed. "You mean…you'll be my…girlfriend?"

"Hell yeah," Karin smiled. "What did you expect after you kissed me and said we burned six calories? You're perfect!"

Tezuka chuckled. "You're perfect too, Karin."

Now, Tezuka walked Karin home. It was late afternoon. When they reached Karin's house however, Karin noticed that another car parked in the driveway.

"What's that car doing here?" she questioned. "We have guests?"

"That's my dad's car," Tezuka blinked. They both entered the house and then walked into the kitchen to see Karin's grandparents with Tezuka's parents and Kazu.

Kuniharu looked over and smiled. "Ah, there they are!" he looked over at his wife. "You're right, they were on a date!"

"Okaa-san," Tezuka glared at his mother, who smiled at him. "Oh come on Kunimitsu! It's obvious!" she gestured at the space between Karin and her son. "You two are holding hands! How cute!"

"It's about time you bring a girl home!" Kazu smirked and elbowed his old friend. "Yo Satoshi, this must be destiny! My grandson's going out with your granddaughter!"

"I guess it is," Satoshi laughed.

After about an hour of just sitting in the kitchen talking about dating and embarrassing Tezuka more than he already was, it was time for them to go.

As Tezuka's family got into their car, Tezuka stood on the porch, handing Jewel, who was in his arms the whole hour he'd been in Karin's house, to Karin. The Russian blue cat meowed happily as Karin petted her head, then looked up at Tezuka's eyes.

"See you tomorrow," she smiled. Tezuka nodded. "Hnn," he leaned in and gave her a kiss. He then made his way to the car and got in. As they backed out of the driveway, Karin couldn't help but giggle when she saw Kazu, who was sitting in the back seat since Ayana was in front, poking Tezuka in the arm and teasing him while his grandson blushed.

"I saw that," Satoshi came up from behind Karin with his wife. Karin turned towards them and smiled. "Are you guys ok with this?"

"Of course. Kunimitsu's a good guy…" Jun trailed off to look up in thought. "Though I never imagined you two together…"

"Opposites attract each other," Satoshi chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Just look at Kaichi and our daughter."

"Talking about that, shouldn't you call your parents and tell them this?" Jun asked. Satoshi nodded. "Does he even know about Kaichi?" Yes, Karin's grandparents knew of her secret disguise.

"Yeah, I told him," Karin petted her cat, making her purr. "I'm going to tell the team tomorrow too and maybe Kuni can come over so he can talk to mom and dad."

"Alright," Satoshi nodded. "C'mon, get inside; now that you have a boyfriend we need to have a very detailed conversation about the birds and the bees."

"Stop it," Karin laughed, brushing past him and walking into the house, with her grandmother at her heels. Satoshi chuckled. "I'm serious young lady!"


	43. The News

"Mornin' Kuni!" Karin closed the gate of her house and smiled at him. Giving her a small smile, he nodded and kissed her lightly. "Good morning."

In class, the teacher decided that they would work in pairs.

"Ok, so wait, the answer is C? I think it's A," Karin asked. Tezuka nodded. "The answer is C,"

He had already finished the work the teacher had given him, but since Karin tends to be slow in math, he helped her as best he could.

"Ok, C," she circled the answer choice for question fifteen. "If it's wrong, I'm gonna murder your ass,"

"Of course you will…" he smirked and opened a book that he'd been reading for weeks and hasn't finished it yet, since he was too busy thinking of Karin.

Said girl watched him read; his dark brown eyes scanned the pages quickly and his expression was serious as ever. Karin smirked devilishly and turned her head to the window and looked out at the cherry blossom tree outside. It reminded her of yesterday; how he'd taken her out to that beautiful lake and put cherry blossoms and her hair and kissed her.

She slowly took off the slipper on her right foot with the assistance of her opposite foot. She never really got the point of taking off your shoes to get into school; in America, you enter the classroom with dirt in your shoes for all they care.

Smirking to herself, she inched her foot closer and then quickly ran it up Tezuka's leg. She felt him jump in surprise, and she smirked but didn't turn his way. Right then a there, she realized that she really has rubbed it off on Tezuka. He returned the childish gesture with a smirk on his face, though his eyes didn't leave the book.

Karin giggled and pushed his leg playfully, which he returned by running his foot up her leg again.

"You two seem to be done," the teacher raised a curious brow at them from his desk. The couple quickly stopped their actions and composed themselves and their teacher continued. "What's the answer for number fifteen?"

"C," Tezuka answered sternly. The teacher narrowed his eyes. "No…it's A…"

"Oh wazzup!" Karin pointed at Tezuka with an I-told-you-so grin. "I told you the answer was A, but noooo!"

Finally, classes ended and it was time for practice. Karin sat in the boys' locker rooms, sighing to herself. She really hoped they would understand…

"Are you ok?" Tezuka walked into the locker room. Karin shrugged. "I'm fine I guess; are they coming?"

"Yeah, Oishi's bringing them in now," Tezuka walked over to Karin and extended his hand. "I'm sure they'll understand," he helped her stand up.

"What if they don't?" Karin said. Tezuka sighed and leaned in, kissing her softly. "If they don't, then they'll have problems with me."

Karin giggled. "Thanks, Kuni,"

A few minutes later, the team walked into the locker room. Some were sitting on the benches: Momo, Kikumaru and Fuji while others were standing: Inui, Taka-san, Oishi, Echizen and Kaidoh. Tezuka was also standing; he was leaning against the wall in the far right.

"So whatcha wanna tell us, Karin-chan, nya~?" Kikumaru grinned. Karin smiled but then sighed. "Ok guys; I'm sure all of you guys are wondering who my dad is, right?"

All their heads perked up at the sentence. Karin's shoulders tensed. "I…I've been keeping the secret from you guys for too long. I hope you all aren't mad at me for doing that—"

"Ryuzaki-sensei said that you were going to tell us when you were ready," Oishi said. "Of course we won't be angry."

"It's because I've technically been lying to you guys about myself…" Karin trailed off. "My last name isn't really _Mizushima_; that was my mom's name before she got married to my dad…"

The team remained quiet. Karin sighed. "My dad is Namikaze Kaichi."

There was a moment of silence until Fuji spoke.

"So wait," he opened his eyes. "Your real name his Namikaze Karin? And your dad is Namikaze Kaichi?"

"Yeah," Karin waved her hands in front of her. "Please; I just didn't want to make friends here in Japan just because he's my dad. That always happens to me and I didn't want it to happen here too…"

"Karin-chan," Inui pointed at Echizen. "Echizen is Nanjiro's son and we don't treat him any different."

"So you guys aren't mad?" Karin smiled. Momo laughed. "Of course not!"

"Can I meet your dad though…?" Kikumaru said shyly. Karin nodded. "Whenever you want, Eiji-chan,"

"So you're Namikaze's daughter?" Echizen smirked. "I knew it."

"Smart ass," Karin pulled his hat down over his eyes. "You're so full of shit."

"But wait!" Kikumaru jumped. "Are you gonna let everyone know now?"

Karin shrugged. "Might as well; I'm not gonna be keeping this secret any longer."

After a few minutes of talking about Karin's father, Tezuka eyed her from his position. Karin smiled and took the team's attention.

"Hey guys, I got something else to tell you!" Karin grinned as they looked over quizzically. She skipped over to Tezuka and leaned against his right arm. "We're going out!"

The most awkward silence fell between the couple and the team. Tezuka was trying his best to not blush and Karin was smiling. Kikumaru was the first to speak.

"You mean…you're going out…as in…_dating_?"

"Yup," Karin nodded just after Momo spoke. "As in…boyfriend and girlfriend…?"

"Yup,"

There was that awkward silence once more, but this time, Fuji clapped his hands together and then held them out. "Pay up!"

Tezuka and Karin morphed the most confused expression as everyone groaned and emptied the money from their pockets and placed it on Fuji's hands. Tezuka's glasses flashed, meaning he was immensely annoyed. His 'other half' spoke for him though.

"What the fodoodles! You guys had a bet on this?" Karin cried. Fuji laughed, pocketing the money. "I knew it was going to happen at some point Karin-chan; you two are perfect together!"

"You and the buchou make a cute couple!" Momo snickered. Inui smirked. "Never thought Tezuka had it in him to get a girlfriend…"

"You guys are horrible people…" Karin face-palmed. Kikumaru smiled. "Maybe buchou won't give us laps anymore!"

"All of you run fifty laps for making an insignificant bet," Tezuka's glasses flashed in annoyance. "Now." He didn't yell, but his tone spoke volumes. The team winced and nodded, making their way out of the locker rooms, pouting.

After practice, everyone said their goodbyes. Tezuka made sure Inui wasn't following them; he didn't feel like having Seigaku's No. 1 stalker on their tails.

"Kuni, he's not following us. Chill," Karin sighed with a smile. Tezuka glared over his shoulder. "I just want to make sure…"

Karin giggled and swung their laced hands forward and backwards. "Kuni, we're gonna have to tell my parents about us,"

"You're going to call them?" Tezuka nodded and squeezed her hand. "What will they say?"

"I have no idea; my mom wouldn't care but I don't know about my dad…"

"What's he like?" he asked. Karin laughed. "You'll see."

"Good evening, Tezuka-kun," Jun smiled. He nodded in response. Satoshi nodded. "Karin, are you going to talk to Michiko and Kaichi?"

"Yeah," Karin nodded and grabbed Tezuka's arm. She led him up to her room. Once there, Karin sat down on the bed and started to play around with her iPhone. Tezuka sat on the edge of the bed. He watched her and his eyebrows ceased. "Karin?"

"Hmm?" she looked up, meeting his eyes. "What's up?"

"Will your parents like me?"

"Every guy's nightmare is to meet the girl's parents," Karin laughed. "They'll like you; don't worry!" She placed the phone on the bed and pressed a button to put it on speaker. After a few rings, the phone on the other end was picked up.

"Hello?" said a sweet female voice.

"Mommy!" Karin grinned. "Hi!"

"Hi sweetie," Michiko said happily. "How's everything in Japan?"

"Good!" Karin smirked. "But I have something to tell you and daddy; is he there?"

"Of course," Michiko said. "Kaichi! Karin's on the phone; she wants to talk to us!"

"Karin?" Kaichi's voice was distant, but it was clear. "What does she want?" his voice was closer now.

"I don't know," Michiko answered. There was the sound of a button being pressed, meaning their phone was placed on speaker now. "What is it you want to tell us, Karin?"

"Ok, first; I told the team who daddy really is and what me real name is,"

"Cool!" Kaichi smiled. Michiko smiled. "Did they take it well?"

"Yeah, they did; thank god," Karin's grin was as wide as ever. "And I have something else to tell you guys too!"

"What is it?" Michiko asked.

Karin smiled. "I have a boyfriend!"

There was silence.

"What?" Kaichi's tone was clipped. Michiko however, overcame his voice; her tone betraying her happy emotions. "That's wonderful, Karin! Is he cute?"

Tezuka blushed and Karin giggled. "Yeah, he's super adorable!"

"Whoah, whoah, whoah, whoah, whoah," Kaichi repeated quickly. "Whoah."

"What's the matter Kaichi?" Michiko asked.

"What do you mean 'what's the matter'?" Kaichi said. "Our daughter's being stolen!"

"Stop overreacting," Michiko sighed.

"I'm not overreacting!" Kaichi said. "Karin, is he there with you?"

"Yeah," Karin smiled. Tezuka couldn't remember the last time he was so nervous.

"You; whoever you are: speak." Kaichi's tone was still clipped.

Tezuka nervously cleared his throat. "Namikaze-san, I—"

"What the hell?" Kaichi snapped. "How old is this guy; forty?"

"Dad, he's fourteen," Karin rolled her eyes. Kaichi scoffed. "Damn; he sounds like he's forty through the phone…"

"He has a really deep voice daddy,"

"Kaichi, stop scaring him," Michiko said. "What's your name?"

"Tezuka Kunimitsu," Tezuka responded quickly.

"You seem to be very sweet, Tezuka-kun," Michiko said happily. "Do you go to Seigaku?"

"Yes," Tezuka said.

"Let me guess; you play tennis?" Kaichi asked. Tezuka nodded. "Yes,"

"Oh, the irony!" Kaichi snorted.

"Ignore him; he's just jealous," Michiko laughed, getting an 'I'm not jealous!' from Kaichi. Michiko ignored him. "How long have you two been going out?"

"A couple days," Karin said. Michiko nodded. "Tezuka-kun, be good to Karin," she smiled. "And Karin; don't drive him crazy; he seems very nervous,"

"It's not Karin…" Tezuka stuttered. "I'm just—"

"Kaichi's making you nervous, isn't he?" Michiko laughed. "Like I said, ignore him; he's just jealous."

"Oh, so you're scared of me?" Kaichi chuckled. "You better be,"

"Dad, he's taking a mental shit. Stop it," Karin giggled.

"This is serious chiz Karin!" Kaichi exclaimed. Michiko laughed. "Well, we should go before your father throws a tantrum,"

"I'm not three!" he retorted. Michiko laughed. "I love you Karin," she said. "Tezuka-kun; take care of our daughter."

"I will," Tezuka nodded. Kaichi started to say something, but the call was ended.

"Your dad is scary…" Tezuka sighed heavily. Karin giggled and leaned into him, giving him a light kiss. "He likes you; he just wants to scare you."

"He's exactly like you," Tezuka smirked. Karin rolled her eyes. "People say that, but I don't see it,"

Suddenly, her phone gave off a beep, meaning she got a text message. The couple eyed the phone. Karin grasped it and opened the message. Karin read it and sighed heavily.

Tezuka leaned over and read the text message:

_You better not rape my daughter you forty-year old dipshit :(  
>I'm watching you.<br>__**Alpha-bitch Kaichi**_

"I told you so,"

"Shut up, Kuni,"


	44. Hyotei Gakuen

"Tournament registration will end in 20 minutes," the female announcer's voice was heard on the speakers.

Karin glanced over at the clock. "Oishi's late,"

"You think he got lost or something?" Taka-san asked.

"The tournament was held here last year too," Inui responded. "I don't think that's the case…"

"Maybe he's helping a pregnant woman give birth," Echizen drank a bit of grape flavored Ponta after his statement. Karin raised an eyebrow. "That's bullshit, that was your excuse," Karin smiled. "He probably got abducted by aliens!"

"What do you think we should do, Ryuzaki-sensei?" Tezuka asked. Ryuzaki rolled her eyes. "I guess we'll just have to wait for—"

"You guys are so mean!" Karin laughed as Momo and Kikumaru cracked up at what they did to one of the freshman. They placed a black swimmer's cap on his head and drew the two strands of hair that Oishi has on Mizuno's forehead with a sharpie. Ryuzaki rolled her eyes irritably as Tezuka sighed.

Suddenly, the coach's phone rang. She picked it up.

"Oishi! Where are you right now?" Ryuzaki asked. She paused and her eyes widened. "What? You're at a hospital helping a woman that's about to give birth?"

"We're doomed," Karin said calmly.

"Can you make it here in time?" Another pause from the coach. "You can't leave because she's helpless?"

"Ryuzaki-sensei," Momo stepped up. "I'll go to the hospital; if I hurry, we might make it back in time."

Ryuzaki looked at the boy in front of her before nodding. "Alright. Oishi; where's is this hosptial?"

After he gave him the directions, Momo dashed off out of the park.

"Now what?" Kikumaru blinked. Karin shrugged. "We wait."

After about fifteen minutes, Momo came running with Oishi's jersey in his hands. Oishi had already contacted Ryuzaki, telling her that he'd sprang his wrist and couldn't play so he sent Momo back in his place.

"Remember that Hyotei is one of the most advanced teams you will ever face so play with everything you've got," Ryuzaki started. She held the paper with the playing order. The Seigaku team watched her anxiously.

"Doubles 2: Kikumaru and Momoshiro. Doubles 1: Inui and Karin," she glanced at Karin. "I wrote your name down as Namikaze on your request."

"I know," she smiled. Ryuzaki nodded. "Singles 3: Kawamura. Singles 2: Fuji. And Singles 1: Tezuka,"

"What about Ryo-chan?" Karin asked. Tezuka turned to her. "He's on reserve. In Singles 3, there's a junior named Kabaji playing that has too much power for him to handle,"

"And according to what I've calculated, Momo and Taka-san are the only ones that can fight back such power," Inui closed his notebook. "Thus, Taka-san will play in Echizen's place."

"I don't think I'll win…" Taka-san started to doubt. Fuji smiled and held out Kawamura's racquet.

"Don't worry," Fuji said. "You've been training for this day." He handed him the racquet and Kawamura started to form a smirk on his face. He held up the racquet. "BURNING!"

"We're not so doomed anymore," Karin grinned. Tezuka sighed and sat next to her on the bench.

Karin smiled at him and placed her hand gently on his injured elbow, which made him jump slightly. His elbow has recently become somewhat sensitive.

"You sure you're ok?" Karin asked in concern. Tezuka nodded. "Yes,"

"I don't want you to strain yourself," Karin moved her hand on his elbow, massaging it. "Don't injure your elbow more than it already is."

"I won't," Tezuka glanced at her and looked into her eyes. "I promise."

A sudden bright flash of light shone on them. They glanced over to where the light source came from to see Fuji holding a brand new camera he'd bought with the money that he got from the bet he'd placed.

"Gotcha!" he smiled. Kikumaru grinned. "Nya~! You guys are so cute~!"

As Tezuka's glasses flashed in annoyance, Karin laughed. "Shusuke, you're having too much fun,"

Doubles 2 began with Kikumaru and Momo vs. Hyotei's pair: Oshitari and Mukahi.

"Hey, Hyotei has a girl player," Karin scoffed. "Copy-catters…"

"What girl?" Fuji raised an eyebrow. Karin pointed at Mukahi. "That one,"

"Karin-chan, that's a guy," Inui snickered. Karin jaw dropped. "Are you cereal?"

When he nodded, Karin laughed. "That's so misleading!"

Momo served his famed Bullet Serve but it was returned by Oshitari. Almost instantly however, Kikumaru jumped and shot the ball back. Mukahi jumped up in the air. Everyone watched in awe as he started to spin and flip himself in complete midair. He returned the ball.

"What the hell?" Karin's mouth gapped. Inui flipped through his notebook. "That's called 'Moon Salute'."

The ball bounced on the court, but it was far from over. Kikumaru reached his racquet out from behind him and returned the shot. Mukahi was still in the air so he couldn't reach it but Oshitari ran towards the ball and got ready to return. Seeing as Momo was running to the left side of the court, which was empty, Oshitari lobbed it to the opposite side. Kikumaru tried to reach it but missed and Hyotei got the point. They played until Hyotei won the game.

"Game, Hyotei! One game to love!"

"You think they'll be alright?" Karin asked as she took the Snapple from Tezuka's hand. He shrugged and sat next to her on the bench. "Hnn..."

Karin sighed and opened the bottle and drank a bit of the iced tea. "Do you think we'll make it to the Nationals?" she rested her head on his shoulder. This time, he didn't jump in surprise. He placed his hand on top of hers, which was resting on the bench. "Of course; we just can't let our guard down."

Oshitari served. Momo decided that he wouldn't let Hyotei take the flow of the game, so he took the stance of the Jack Knife and returned it with said move.

Mukahi jumped into the air and upside down, he returned the ball. Momo smirked and ran over, jumped and made his famous Dunk Smash.

The next thing that happened surprised everyone. It was almost invisible. It happened to quickly that the only thing that was seen was Oshitari with his back to the net, racquet in the air and the ball softly bouncing on Seigaku's side of the court.

"Was that Higuma Otoshi?" Karin gasped. Inui nodded. "Oshitari Yuushi…Hyotei's Genius," he glanced at Fuji, who was frowning. "Fuji's Hyotei counterpart."

"Game, Hyotei! Four games to love!"

"Hyotei, Hyotei, Hyotei!" the crowd on the opposite side of the benches cried. Karin's eyebrow twitched. "All this _Hyotei-Hyotei_ shit is getting annoying…" she muttered bitterly.

From there, it seemed as though Kikumaru and Momo snapped. They started to use the Australian Formation and began to actually work like a doubles pair. Kikumaru realized that he had to take Oishi's place instead of Momo doing so. They quickly caught up to Hyotei.

"Game Seigaku! Four games to four!"

Oishi came back to watch at that moment, causing an uproar in Seigaku. It boasted Kikumaru and Momo's morale immensely.

Mukahi started to lose his energy. Seigaku won yet another game.

"Game, Seigaku! Five games to four!"

Momo served. Oshitari raced to the ball and returned. Both pairs started to rally.

"The guy with the glasses is starting to attack!" Oishi cried. Inui nodded. "Yes, since his partner is losing energy; he needs to take over."

"C'mon! One more point and we win!" Karin urged anxiously with a smile.

Momo returned the ball. Oshitari saw this and shot the ball right back, aiming for the middle of the court which was empty. Kikumaru watched it fly by and then get caught be Momo's racquet. The shot was strong, but Momo grit his teeth and returned it with even more power. Oshitari smirked and made a swift drop shot.

But Momo reacted quickly and lobbed the ball softly over the net. He smirked. "It's too late for you to fight back." He quoted Oshitari.

Oshitari scoffed and ran to return the ball; but Momo could already predict where he was going to hit it. Oshitari realized this at the last moment and could do nothing more than lob the ball.

"Alright! Chance ball!" Oishi cheered.

Momo looked up at the airborne ball and jumped, despite not being in the position for it.

"He won't make it; what's he doing?" Karin asked.

Momo smirked and hit the ball normally. Oshiatri frowned and ran over to the ball, returning it. _He tricked us,_ he thought. _He delayed the time of his jump. _

Oshiatri returned another lob, giving the Seigaku pair yet another chance ball.

Momo ran over to the ball and jumped. He smirked midway however and swung the racquet but missed the ball. Kikumaru jumped as his partner landed on the concrete of the court. Oshitari and Mukahi could do nothing but watch the red head slam the ball onto their court and steal the point from them.

"Game and match, Seigaku! 6 games to four!"

"Yes! We won!" Karin jumped from the bench happily. "Suck on that!"

After congratulating the unexpected winning pair, it was now time for the next game. Doubles 1: Shishido and Ootori vs. Inui and Karin.

"This is the first time I've ever played doubles…" Karin said thoughtfully. Inui took out his dark green racquet from his bag. "I know that, Karin-chan,"

"What don't you know?" Karin laughed. "Just bear with me until I get the hang of it."

"It's not that difficult," Inui said. "Just follow the plan and we'll do fine."

Karin sighed. Inui pushed up his glasses. It's actually an interesting story how he came up with the idea to pair up with Karin in a match. Karin's never played in a doubles match before, meaning the teamwork between them is going to be off in the start, but Inui calculated that by the third game, Karin will get the gist of it.

Atobe watched the Seigaku pair walk onto the court. He smirked. He finally gets to see Karin play. Sure, he watched that mediocre one she played when he met her, but he senses that she will show her true power here. His sources tell him that she has a unique play style that practically 'beat her opponents in seconds' as they exaggerate it. He also didn't fail to realize that on the order sheet, her name is now written as Namikaze Karin, rather than Mizushima Karin. He always knew she was the daughter of Namikaze Kaichi. He remembers seeing her in a Grand Slam held in England two years ago; the Wimbledon if his memory serves him right. His father was on a business trip and Atobe decided to tag along. He went to the Grand Slam and saw Namikaze Kaichi playing against an English man, but he also saw his wife and his daughter sitting at the other side of the courts, watching him play. The two look very much alike, only Karin has blue eyes while her mother has brown eyes. The memory of seeing the girl was insignificant to him at the time, and was placed in the darkest corner of his mind; but when he saw her that day in the Prefectural tournament, he remembered her. She plays nothing like her father; only his silly antics and his eyes were passed onto her.

Karin and Inui stood on the court as Ootori bounced the ball on the pavement. Shishido waited patiently. Ootori looked over and then tossed the ball in the air.

Ootori muttered a chant under his breath as the ball was in the air. Then, he swung his racquet with unspeakable force. The serve came crashing onto Seigaku's court, flying past Inui and then Karin.

"15-love!" the referee called out.

"What the shit was that?" Karin cried out in amazement. "Oh my god; I wanna learn that!" Karin jumped and pointed at the ball that was caught on the fence. "That was so kick-ass!"

In confusion, Shishido looked over his shoulder at his partner, who shrugged. They both looked at their coach, who merely kept a straight face.

"Karin-chan, stop goofing off," Inui chuckled. Karin shrugged. "It was cool; just admit it."

Hyotei won that game quickly. Every time Ootori would serve, Karin would admire the serve and say that she wanted to learn it; which dumbfounded the Hyotei pair.

"Here you go," Inui tossed Karin a tennis ball. Karin smiled. "Thanks," she dribbled the ball on the court. She tossed it high in the air and then swung her racquet and hit the ball perfectly…only it dipped towards the net and hit Inui in the back of his head. He grunted, rubbing his head and looking over at Karin who was with a gasp/smile on her face.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry!" Karin apologized but couldn't help but laugh. The court filled with laughter, which made Shishido angry. _I can't believe she's taking this as a joke!_ His scowl got darker. _This isn't a joke!_

"I'm so sorry," Karin giggled and waved her hand. "Can you move? I can't serve with your head in the way,"

"You should've asked," Inui chuckled and moved towards the middle of the court, allowing more than enough room for her to serve.

"That's better," Karin dribbled the ball with her racquet and smiled at the scowling Shishido and the serious-but-wants-to-laugh Ootori. She tossed the ball in the air, but spun it the way a topspin would, and then sliced it in the same direction. The ball crossed the court and hit the concrete, only it didn't bounce; it glided across the court.

"15-love!"

"There it is!" the freshmen cried. "Estonian Twist Serve!"

The Hyotei members fell silent as Seigaku cheered. Karin smiled cheerfully and patted Inui on the back. "Sorry Sadaharu-chan; did I hit you hard?"

"Don't worry about it," he assured her. "Just keep it up; just like we planned." He held out his fist. Karin nodded and smirked, lightly tapping her fist with his. "You got it."


	45. The Inui and Karin Strategy

The Estonian Twist Serve glided on the opposite court once more, earning cheers from Seigaku. Shishido growled and Ootori, who was calmer about things than his partner, merely sighed sadly.

"Game, Seigaku! One game to one!" the referee cried.

The pairs started to rally. Shishido was incredibly fast for Inui, but Inui counted on Karin's reflexes to meet him halfway. He had a few close calls; Karin isn't used to having another person on her side of the court; thus she subconsciously returns the ball forgetting that Inui's _on_ the court. He's had to dodge a few of the returns Karin's made; if not, it would've hit him and cost them the point.

"Oops, sorry, Sadaharu-chan!" Karin winced as he narrowly moved to the left, dodging the ball she'd just returned. He nodded with a smile. "Don't worry, Karin-chan; just worry about returning,"

_Oh Karin…_ Ryuzaki thought to herself irritably. _She thinks she's on a singles court!_ Ryuzaki doesn't know how many times she's seen Karin nearly hit Inui with her returns. She understands that Karin has never played doubles before, but she needs to be more careful.

Inui also understands this. He knew this would happen if he played doubles with Karin and he accepted this fact when he asked Ryuzaki if she could consider teaming him up with Karin for the Doubles 1 slot; which was empty. He actually came up with the theory of teaming up with Karin in the most unexpected way; he felt indeed dumb for not noticing the possibility before.

"Game, Hyotei! Two games to one!"

"Karin, for goodness sake; you're going to kill Inui out there!" Ryuzaki scolded Karin as she stood before her. Karin pouted. "I haven't hit him once!" she corrected herself when her coach glared at her. "Except the one with the serve but that was an accident!"

Ryuzaki sighed and glanced at Inui. "I trust you have a plan for this?"

"Of course; it'll all come together shortly," he replied. His coach nodded. "I trust your judgment, Inui," she glared at Karin once more. "Play correctly, Karin!"

"I know!" she pouted childishly.

The game continued. Karin was finally getting the hang of things and there weren't any more 'close calls'; but the Hyotei pair was still difficult. They'd sped through their games, stealing points from Inui and Karin. Inui, much to Hyotei and Seigaku's confusion, kept running around the court while Karin did little effort. Both sides knew they were up to something, but let it slide. That was their mistake.

"Game, Hyotei! Four games to one!"

Inui, who hasn't broken a sweat, walks over to the baseline while Karin walks in the opposite direction to the front. Karin had to hand it to him; he really was a stamina freak.

"Can we beat these guys already?" Karin smirked, raising an eyebrow. Inui chuckled. "Yes; I've collected all the information needed,"

Karin nodded. She asked the referee for permission to get something in her bag; which confused the Hyotei pair, but not Atobe.

_She's going to use her Royal Play_, Atobe thought. He smirked. _Let's see what these two are planning._

Karin adjusted her bright red cap on her head as Inui dribbled the ball on the court. He eyed the court and took the necessary measurements. He served.

Shishido, who was rear guard, ran towards the ball and returned. As he did so however, Inui spoke: "Karin-chan, 130 degrees,"

Karin automatically went right. Shishido's eyes widened at seeing the girl at the once empty side of the court. Karin smirked and returned the ball to the left. "130 minus 90 is 40 degrees!"

Shishido growled and returned the unexpected ball. Inui straightened out. "At that angle, the ball will be short by…" he paused as the ball hit the net. Karin smiled. "5 inches!"

"You're getting better at this," Inui complemented her. Karin laughed. "Thanks."

The Seigaku side of the courts started to cheer on the pair while Hyotei was dead quiet.

"What are they doing?" Oishi asked. "This isn't a math lesson!"

"Looks like Inui and Karin-chan might be a good pair after all," Fuji grinned.

Tezuka watched Karin and Inui on the court. He knew exactly what was going on, having been there when Inui explained his strategy.

On the court, Inui and Karin high-fived each other. It had worked; their strategy that is. Inui was 98% sure it would work. Inui smirked. "The score's five to one; let's make a comeback,"

"Hell yeah," Karin smirked. It was truly a coincidence how the pair came to be.

"**Ugh!" Karin pouted. "This is so hard!"**

"**What is?" Inui asked her, pushing up his glasses. Karin was sitting on a bench on Seigaku's tennis courts while Inui stood by her, taking notes. It was a bright and sunny afternoon and the tennis team was practicing; but Namikaze Karin was doing homework.**

"**This math chiz!" Karin pouted, holding up the notebook with various problems written in it. "It's so stupid! When will I ever use this?"**

"**Here, let me help you," Inui sat down and took the notebook. He skimmed the questions and shook his head. "This is simple; didn't you ask Tezuka for help earlier?" **

"**Yeah, but I wasn't paying attention when he was explaining it…" Karin played with her fingers innocently. Inui rolled his eyes with a chuckled. "Look Karin-chan, it's very easy. Look at it as if it were tennis…" Inui traced the line that was drawn across the shape. "It says that this angle is 90 degrees," he paused and held out his hand directly in front of him. "Think of 90 degrees as a perfect straight shot,"**

"**Ok," Karin pointed at the other angle that was drawn on the weird figure. "So this 110 degrees here is a right cross-shot since 110 is bigger than 90,"**

"**Exactly," he pointed at the x that replaced the mysterious degree of the angle. "Now, because you hit a straight or 90 degree shot and the opponent hit a right cross or 110 degree shot; where are you going to return it in order to get the point?"**

"**A left cross shot!" Karin took the pencil and wrote the answer on the paper. "So anything bigger than 90 is a right cross-shot and anything less is a left cross-shot right?" **

"**Exactly," Inui nodded. "Is it easy now?" **

"**Yeah!" Karin said eagerly. "Better than how Kuni explained it with all the x and numbers and stuff!" As Karin began doing the remaining problems, Inui watched her in thought. He has mathematical skills that deal with precision…and Karin has the precision for those mathematical skills. If a tennis court can be used as the equivalent of a mathematical equation; then Karin will be able to pinpoint such precise numbers with her Royal Play…**

"**Ryuzaki-sensei," Inui walked into her office. Practice had ended a while ago. Ryuzaki looked up from her paperwork. "Yes?"**

"**Is the Doubles 2 slot still open?" Inui asked. Ryuzaki caught on quickly. "Who do you think will be willing to play?"**

"**Karin-chan and I," Inui stated. He explained the reason. His mathematical precision teamed up with Karin's pinpoint accuracy.**

"**A very good idea indeed, Inui," Ryuzaki toyed with a pen. "Have you asked Karin?"**

"**No, I wanted to see what you thought first,"**

"**Well then, if Karin agrees, your names will be put on the Doubles 2 slot."**

**Now out of campus, Inui glanced across the street where an ice-cream parlor was. On an outdoor table sat Tezuka and Karin; most likely on an afterschool date. He wasn't eating any ice-cream, in contrast to his girlfriend who had an ice-cream cup with three scoops. They were noticeably having a conversation.**

"**So he explained it so easy!" Karin smiled. "But you explained it like you were Einstein or something. I'm retarded you know."**

"**No you're not Karin," Tezuka told her firmly. "You just need to study more on math,"**

**Karin nodded, eating a spoonful of ice-cream. She suddenly spotted a figure walking up to the table. She looked past Tezuka, which alerted him that someone was coming. He looked back to see Inui. **

"**I don't mean to interrupt your date you two," Inui smirked as Tezuka blushed. Karin remained unaffected by his statement. "You didn't interrupt; what's up?"**

"**Did you follow us?" Tezuka asked sternly. Inui avoided the question and glanced at Karin. He knew very well Tezuka didn't like to be stalked. "I need to ask you something Karin-chan,"**

"**Yeah?"**

"**What do you think about pairing up with me in doubles? With your accuracy and my mathematical precision, we could make a good team."**

**Tezuka glanced at Karin and she shrugged in return. "I've never played doubles before; I might hit you in the face with the ball…"**

"**Does Ryuzaki-sensei know of this?" Tezuka asked. Inui nodded. "I told her beforehand," he turned to Karin. "And I know you've never played doubles and I know the consequences it might bring but it's worth a try."**

"**Ehh, alright; I'll do it," Karin smiled. **

Inui served neatly into the service box. Shishido returned the ball swiftly into the open space.

"Probability of returning to the left…100%." he muttered. Shishido's eyes widened as he saw Inui appear out of nowhere on the empty court. He returned the ball. Shishido clenched his teeth and returned the ball.

"Probability of making a straight shot: 99%," Inui said. Karin suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Being at the net, she volleyed the ball; her eyes already scanned the court like a scope. The ball landed right on the corner of the baseline.

"15-love!" the referee called out. The Seigaku side of the court cheered while the Hyotei side was dead quiet.

"You know you don't have to hit into the singles court right?" Inui chuckled. Karin blushed shyly and laughed. "Force of habit,"

The two pairs now started to rally. Ootori hurried to the ball, returning it with all his power. On the other side of the court, Inui's glasses beamed. "Karin-chan, move exactly 3.5 steps back, and hit exactly three inches away from Ootori's left foot,"

"Yes sir," she joked and did as he said. The ball bounced at the perfect distance from Karin. Her eyes naturally pinpointed the spot: exactly three inches from Ootori's left foot, and returned the ball swiftly.

"Game, Seigaku! Five games to one!"

"Yes! They're making a comeback!" Oishi cheered. The freshmen and the Seigaku team cheered.

_Seigaku, Seigaku, Seigaku_ was what was being heard now. The pairs rallied. Inui kept telling Karin what to do, while simultaneously taking in more data about his opponents. Karin was doing a flawless job at pinpointing the locations, and was making his job easier since he himself couldn't hit with such accuracy; he could attempt to do so but he'd be a bit of inches off.

"Probability of a straight shot: 100%," he said as he returned the shot. "Karin-chan,"

"Got it," Karin ran towards the ball that was just returned by Ootori. She slid under the ball and then returned it. The ball bounced on the opposite court, making the shape of a B.

"Game Seigaku! Five games to two!"

Atobe watched his teammates play. Inui's tennis was something to be afraid of. His observation skills are off the charts; in just three games he collected enough data to control the match. Not only that; Inui knows that in order for Karin's Royal Play to work on its best level; Karin needs to lose as little energy as possible, since the Royal Play _drains_ her energy. So he played while taking data on Ootori and Shishido; while Karin did little effort. Once he collected enough information, he and Karin switched positions: he calls the shots and Karin plays. An interesting and effective strategy.

Now, it was Hyotei's turn to serve; more specifically, Ootori's turn to serve.

"Finish it with your Scud Serve, Choutaro," Shishido told his friend. Ootori nodded. He dribbled the ball on the court and tossed it. He muttered a chant under his breath and then served the ball…but it hit the net.

"Fault!"

"What happened?" Momo asked. Kikumaru shrugged.

Ootori served again and once more, the ball hit the net, almost ripping it.

"Double fault! Love-15!"

He served again and then again.

"Double fault! Love-30!"

"What's going on?" Kikumaru blinked. Tezuka spoke for the first time. "Inui has seen through his habit,"

"What do you mean?" Oishi asked. Tezuka continued. "If you look closely, Inui is standing more to the left than the usual return position, which makes Ootori think that he should aim more to the right,"

"But what's his habit?" Kaidoh asked. Fuji opened his eyes. "He has the habit of kneading his hand when he hits; so because he does that, the Scud Serve goes off track and into the net."

"Of course," Oishi said. "With the speed of the Scud Serve, it's impossible to control it."

"Double fault! Love-40!"

"Don't worry about aiming it into open space, Choutaro," Shishido handed him a tennis ball. "Just hit it right at them; they can't return it either way,"

"Good point," he nodded and tossed the ball over his head and served. This time, it got into the court. But Karin was ready.

"You guys really think I don't know how to return this by now?" Karin slid on her feet and returned the serve like it was nothing.

"She can return it?" Ootori cried. Shishido clenched his jaw and sprinted towards the ball and returned it. Karin used the One-footed Split Step and caught up to the ball, and returned it in the opposite direction. Shishido narrowly managed to catch up however and hit a lob. He fell to the floor because of this.

Karin looked up at the airborne ball. "Get it, Sadaharu!"

He didn't have to be told twice. He jumped in the air and gestured to smash it. Ootori however, wasn't about to let the point go by. He ran towards the net and awaited the smash. Inui momentarily panicked but he managed to hit it in the opposite direction where the helpless Shishido knelt.

"Game, Seigaku! Five games to four!"

"Alright! One more game and we tie it!" Karin hopped up and down, but then she realized Inui was walking out of the court. "Where you going?"

He ignored her and went up to the referee. "The smash I just hit," Inui started, "was about 1.3 inches out of the court."

"What!" Karin cried in fury, but Inui continued. "It's a shame its out; please check." Inui watched the referee look over to where the smash was just hit and just like the teenager said, the black mark on the court indicated that it was indeed out.

"Sorry; 15-40!" the referee corrected.

"Why the hell would you do that?" Karin smacked him comically on the head. "It was so close you freakin' inside-out cow nipple! Not even Kuni is stupid enough to do something like that! Dipshit!" she kept smacking him on the head. "Imma murder you!"

"Oh Karin…" Tezuka sighed heavily. Fuji laughed.

Ryuzaki sighed and looked at the newly formed pair: Karin smacking Inui on the head. She knew that they both were goofballs but she thought to herself: _An honest idiot who plays by the rules and a reckless girl that keeps thinking that this is a singles match is a good game to watch._


	46. A Power Dual

"I'm never playing doubles again; I _suck_." Karin pouted as she stood before Ryuzaki alongside Inui. Hyotei had just won the Doubles 1 match. Inui and Karin were very close to victory, but Shishido and Ootori were just far better than they were.

"Stop complaining Karin," Ryuzaki chuckled. "You did very well considering this is your first time playing doubles."

"Yeah, yeah," Karin rolled her eyes and glared at Inui. "If _someone_ didn't say that the smash was out we would've won…"

"It would be unfair," Inui said plainly. Karin sighed. "Whatever you say Sadaharu-chan…"

"You two did excellent; I hope to you both play on the court again next time," Ryuzaki's eyes sparkled. "And win next time."

Her two students nodded and then made their way to the bleachers.

Now it was time for Singles 3: Kawamura vs. Kabaji.

Taka-san removed his jersey and walked over to the bench where the Seigaku flag sat. She grabbed the steel rod with one hand and made an effort to lift it. Miraculously, to the surprise of Seigaku and Hyotei, he managed to lift it into the air one-handed; despite Oishi's complaints.

As Hyotei mumbled amongst themselves, Ryoma smirked. "Nice, Kawamura-senpai. You're not even in 'Burning' mode yet."

"Heh, not bad dane!" said a voice. The Seigaku team looked up to see St. Rudolph's Yanasigawa and Yuuta.

"Yuuta!" Fuji smiled widely. "You came to cheer me on!"

Yuuta's eyes widened and he blushed, turning away. "That's not it…"

"Wow; you have to have some power to lift this, dane!" Yanasigawa walked over to Taka-san and grabbed the rod. "Let me try!"

Kawamura let go of the flag and automatically, Yanasigawa fell backwards towards the benches. Seeing this, Taka-san quickly took the flag from his hands. "Are you alright?"

"As expected of Seigaku! To lift something this heavy is inhuman, dane!" he cried, staring in awe at Taka-san holding the flag as if it were a feather.

"Power, eh?" Atobe, on the other side of the bleachers, sneered. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Kabaji, Jiro is still sleeping," he said, nodding towards the sleeping boy on the benches. "Wake him up!"

"Yup," Kabaji responded quickly. He grabbed Jiro by the scruff of his jersey and pulled him into the air. Everyone gasped at seeing this. Jiro however, slowly started to open his eyes and soon, he realized he was at least six feet off the ground.

He started to flail in mid air as Kabaji raised him even higher. "Hey! Put me down!"

"That'll do, Kabaji," Atobe said. Kabaji nodded, "Yup," and sat the startled Jiro on the bench once more. The Seigaku side gasped in awe.

"Kuni," Karin tugged at Tezuka's sleeve. She showed him her iPhone. "I'm stuck on Level 10 on _Nyan Cat_, can you beat it for me?"

"Not now," Tezuka said softly. From the Hyotei side, Atobe's eyebrows furrowed towards each other and a smirk resided on his handsome features. _There's something going on between those two…_

"BURNING!" Kawamura swung his racquet around on the court. "C'MON BABY! C'MON BABY!"

Hyotei was dumbstruck at this. Karin laughed. "This is one reason why I love Seigaku,"

However, Kabaji remained emotionless to Kawamura's taunts and intimidations. Soon, the game started with Kawamura serving. After he served, the two began to rally. Each time one of them returned, the other would hit the ball back with even more power. Taka-san managed to catch one these returns in his racquet.

"The power is pushing him back," Fuji's eyes opened as he stated this. Karin sat on the benches, tense. Despite not being in the match itself, the match was intense.

Suddenly, Atobe smirked. He held his hand up and snapped his fingers. The sound reached Kabaji's ears, making something within him just unleash itself. He started to return now with such incredible power, that even Hyotei was surprised.

Taka-san however, returned the shots easily. "BURNING!"

"If he keeps this up, he'll break his wrist!" Oishi cried worryingly.

Kawamura now wore a concentrated expression. He moved his arm behind him and took a familiar stance.

"Whoa! Is he gonna do Hadokyuu?" Karin's eyes widened in shock. Kawamura clenched his jaw and grabbed his racquet's grip with his two hands and unleashed all that power into his return. The ball was almost invisible as it crossed the net to Kabaji's side of the court. Said boy growled and swung to return the Hadokyuu.

The racquet flew into the air from the impact, leaving Hyotei in shock.

"15-love!"

From there, everything went smoothly. Taka-san served and once the serve was returned, he would use the Hadokyuu, and in return, the racquet would fly out of Kabaji's hands. Fuji explained that the Hadokyuu that Kawamura is using is two-handed, thus, it doesn't create a burden on the elbow and wrist.

They played until the score was 2 games to love. Seigaku cheered as Hyotei obviously remained silent. Suddenly, when Kawamura returned a shot, Kabaji took the stance of the Hadokyuu and returned it with said move; he was like a copy of Taka-san. The ball was caught on the fence from the power.

"Game, Kabaji! Two games to one!"

Racquets flew out of hands, returns threatened to crack the pavement and all that power was making everyone tense up. Taka-san didn't know what to do. The strategy he was beginning to form in his head was awfully risky, but in order to win this match, as he is so determined to do so, he had to take the risk.

He lifted his arm and formed a right angle. He summoned at the muscle in his arm and with a loud grunt, Taka-san returned the ball with unspeakable power.

"What's he trying to do?" Karin asked. "The single-handed Hadokyuu is dangerous!"

Kabaji took the same stance Taka-san did just now and he returned the ball with none other than the single-handed Hadokyuu.

Taka-san wasn't giving up, and he used the dangerous move once again. Now, it was a dual of Hadokyuu. Despite the fact that Ryuzaki yelled at Kawamura about using the move, he didn't listen and he kept on using it. Kabaji also kept on using it.

The ball hit the net and Kabaji's racquet hit the pavement loudly. His hand, oozing with blood, twitched in pain. Taka-san also dropped his racquet, his hand stained with the same scarlet substance.

"Since neither side can continue the match, Singles 3 is considered No Game," the referee declared.

As Taka-san apologized to Ryuzaki for not listening to her, Fuji walked over with his bloodied racquet in his hands. He smiled, his blue eyes flashing. "Taka-san, do you mind if I use this racquet?"


	47. Are They Related?

Ryuzaki checked Taka-san's hand cautiously. "Your bones seem to be fine," she said. "But we should still see a doctor though…" Ryuzaki trailed off to glance at Hyotei's side of the court where Kabaji stood. "Is it ok if we took Kabaji-kun with us to the hospital?"

Their coach, Sakaki, nodded. "Go ahead, Kabaji," he nodded at Ryuzaki. "Thank you."

Ryuzaki nodded and looked over at the bleachers where her team stood. "Now, since I'm taking them; who's going to take my place as bench coach?"

"I'LL DO IT!" Karin jumped the bleacher's railing and sat on the coach's bench Indian style. The grin on her face made her look incredibly childish.

Ryuzaki chuckled and sighed heavily. "Fine Karin, you can be bench coach…"

"Yay!" she cried excitably. Ryuzaki chuckled and turned to Fuji. "I don't have much advice for you Fuji; but sometimes, you just have to play with all you've got," she winked. Fuji smiled and nodded. "Of course,"

The coach then turned to the bleachers once more. "I'll leave the rest to you Tezuka,"

"What the hell?" Karin held out her arms in shock. "Aren't I bench coach?"

"Yes," Ryuzaki glared at her playfully. "But if I leave Seigaku in your hands, they'd all be running around in their underwear by now."

"That's so true!" Kikumaru laughed hysterically along with the Seigaku team. Karin flared and turned herself on the bench to meet their glances. "Shut up!"

Jiro yawned widely as he stepped onto the courts. Fuji followed suit and entered the court.

"Seigaku to serve!"

Fuji dribbled the ball before spinning it. He caught it in his racquet at the last minute, making it an unexpected underhand serve. The ball crossed the net swiftly. Meanwhile, Jiro stood there with droopy eyes, still half asleep.

"Jiro, wake up!" Atobe yelled at him. Jiro's eyes flashed open. The ball bounced on the pavement and suddenly, it disappeared from view, making Jiro swing at nothing in the air. Fuji's eyes sharpened. "It disappeared…didn't it?" he whispered to himself.

Now more awake, Jiro's eyes narrowed as Fuji spun the ball and hit the underhand serve once more. As much as he tried to see the ball, Jiro once again swung at the air.

"30-love!"

"THAT'S SO AWESOME!" two voices overlapped each other. Jiro and Karin hopped up and down from their standing positions excitably. Karin ran over to Fuji while Jiro ran towards Atobe.

"Did you see that, Atobe! That was so amazing!"

"How the flying fodoodles did you do that, Shusuke! That's so kick-ass!"

"Hey!" the referee looked back and forth between them. "Get out of the courts! And you get back into the courts!"

"But it was so cool!" they both cried at the referee.

"Are they related…?" Oishi smiled weakly.

Fuji served until he won that game.

"Game, Seigaku! One game to love! Change court!"

"That's so cool!" Jiro cried. His eyes scanned the court and saw no one. He blinked quizzically.

"Hey, I said change court!" the referee said in an annoyed tone. Jiro blushed and laughed. "Oh sorry!"

As he walked to the opposite court, he spotted Karin who was sitting on the bench. He pointed at her. "Whoa! You're that Empress of Seigaku that everyone's talking about!"

"Yeah," Karin smiled and pointed at Fuji. "Isn't Shusuke's serve awesome?"

"It is! It's amazing!" he replied excitably.

After the referee threatened to kick him out of the game (he was pretty pissed already), Jiro dribbled the ball to serve. He tossed it in the air, served and quickly ran to the net. Fuji's eyes sharpened. _Serve and volley, huh?_ He thought. His blue eyes watched his feet move. He remembered Karin told him that aiming shots at the feet are a tennis players' worst nightmare; and he knows that fairly well, having been the first to experience her Royal Play. He was going to use her technique, especially for a serve and volley player like Jiro.

Fuji returned the ball right at the foot Jiro was just about to step on. Jiro panicked obviously and put his racquet in front of his foot to at least try to catch the return. He fell in the process but everyone was in shock when the ball crossed the net and bounced on Fuji's court.

"15-love!"

Jiro served again and ran towards the net once more. Fuji saw this and aimed at his foot once more. This time however, Jiro 'slipped' and managed to lob the ball softly and cross to Fuji's court.

_He faked that_, Karin thought.

"Game, Hyotei! One game to one!"

Fuji served. Jiro returned the ball eagerly. Fuji, who was serious, sharpened his eyes and returned the ball at his feet. Jiro had no choice but to step back to return. Fuji followed up quickly and returned before Jiro had the chance to move up to the net again. He repeated this process until Jiro was at the baseline, thus preventing him to use his net play.

_Nice Shusuke_, Karin smiled to herself, but then she pouted. _Now I know what it feels like to be copied…_

Now the score was two games to one, Seigaku leading. As Fuji changed court, Karin tossed him a water bottle. "You're still a bit relaxed, Shusuke,"

"I know," he replied with a smile.

Jiro served and ran towards the net. Fuji lobbed it, a plan forming in his head. The oblivious Hyotei sleepy head grinned and smashed his return. Fuji's eyes sharpened and almost invisibly did the Higuma Otoshi.

"Hey, Karin-chan," Fuji smiled at her. Karin raised her eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"You've seen Higuma Otoshi and Tsubame Gaeshi before right?" he asked, the wind blew and tousled his brown locks. Karin nodded. "Yeah, I've seen them, why?"

"I'm going to show you my last Triple Counter," Fuji smiled. "Just promise me you won't tackle me on the court because you think it's cool."

Karin laughed. "No promises, Shusuke."


	48. Singles 1

"It's called Hakugei?" Karin asked, her brown locks of hair blowing in the direction of the wind, but since she had her white cap on, her hair wasn't tousled. Fuji nodded at her, his hair a mess from the wind. "Yes, Hakugei."

"Doesn't that mean 'white whale'?" Karin raised an eyebrow. "You come up with some crazy names Shusuke: a swallow, a bear and now a whale."

Fuji only chuckled.

Jiro dribbled the ball on the pavement, his eyes scanning Fuji's court carefully. With a big grin, he tossed the ball up in the air and quickly served. It wasn't a regular serve however, he tossed it more far out than usual. He did this on purpose; he wanted to reach the net as fast as possible. He didn't want Fuji pushing him back to the baseline again.

Fuji watched the ball carefully. But then, he weakly returned it…or so everyone thought.

Suddenly, the ball went towards Jiro, but then hopped upwards into a lob. Then, it went straight down and landed right on the baseline…but it didn't end there: the ball bounced back towards Fuji and he caught it in his hand.

The court fell silent, even Jiro was shocked at what just happened. The only thing heard was the wind blowing and ruffling the trees.

"_Oh hell nah!_" Karin cried in her native tongue. She hopped off the bench and in the blink of an eye, she was glomped onto Fuji, nearly toppling him over. "That was sooooo cool!"

"Karin-chan, I thought you promised not to tackle me!" Fuji couldn't help but laugh. Karin hopped up and down. "That was so awesome Shusuke!" she pointed at the opposite court. "The ball bounced and it came back to you! How whack is that!" She grinned excitably.

"Hey, I've told you before: get off the courts," the referee said, trying to keep his cool. Karin smiled. "Sorry! It's just so freakin' awesome!" Karin calmly walked to the bench. "Keep doing whatcha doing people; you're doing great!"

"Thanks Karin-chan," Fuji smiled at her sweetly, and then turned to Jiro and opened his eyes; the same smile on his face. "Now, let's continue before the wind subsides,"

Fuji kept on using the Hakugei and earning cheers from Seigaku. Finally, the game ended.

"Game and match, Seigaku! 6 games to 1!"

The courts erupted with cheers. Karin high-fived him as he approached the bench.

"That was kick-ass," Karin smirked. "You mind that I copy that and make a serve?"

Fuji chuckled. "Go ahead, I don't mind," he opened his eyes. "But my Hakugei's always going to be better,"

"Of course it will," Karin smiled. Fuji smiled too and walked over to his brother, probably to embarrass him like Fuji Shusuke loves to do. Karin watched them with a soft, absentminded smile. How Fuji loved his little brother; Karin knew he had won that match for him. She remembered when he had asked her to defeat Mizuki with no mercy; to teach the kid a lesson for messing with Fuji's younger brother. This was no different, but Karin knew he held no grudge against Jiro, since the sleepy head won his match fair and square with no dangerous Twist Spin Shot or ambitious sights.

"Karin," a deep voice called out to her softly. Her gaze snapped over to her boyfriend, who stood before her with his racquet in hand. Karin raised her eyebrows. "Hmm?"

"Here," he tossed her smoke silver racquet into her hands and turned around. "Come."

"Ok," Karin sighed and adjusted her hat as she stood. She calmly walked out of the courts with him. Only Fuji saw them leave.

The two walked into an empty court. Karin automatically figured out what it was for (because her mind subconsciously thought it was for a Snapple).

"Ah, you wanna warm up," Karin nodded. "Why didn't you just say so?"

"Hnn…" he muttered. Karin felt he was troubled. She touched his left elbow, making him jump in response. "Are you ok?"

"Fine," he replied sternly. Karin stood before him and looked into his eyes that were downcast. She knew he hated having an injured elbow. Then again, who wouldn't? But Tezuka Kunimitsu despised it with a passion.

"Kunimitsu…" she brushed away a lock of his hair that fell over his glasses. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yes," he whispered. Karin smiled softly and gave him a gentle kiss. She pulled away just as he leaned in for more. She smirked. "Let's not waste time, hmm?" she teasingly tapped him on the chest with her racquet and walked past him tauntingly. His glasses flashed as he looked over his shoulder at her walking towards the opposite side of the court. He smirked. Oh how he loved that girl.

"Hey, the buchou isn't here!" Kikumaru said, looking around. Oishi looked around as well. "Yeah; and so is Karin-chan,"

Ryoma sipped a bit of Ponta and let out a snicker. "The buchou and Karin-senpai are getting real close…"

"They went to play a game together, I saw them leave with their racquets," Fuji stepped in. Ryoma scoffed. "Mada mada dane…"

Karin and Tezuka rallied back and forth. It wasn't a real match but Karin insisted that they'd do a three point game just for the fun of it.

"Damn it!" Karin pouted as the ball sped past her and hit the fence. Tezuka sighed, placed his racquet under his right arm and rolled his left wrist around to relax it. "That's three points, Karin. Let's get back to the courts."

"Ok," Karin adjusted her hat on her head. "How do you think that Atobe guy plays?"

"From what I've heard, he plays very well," Tezuka replied softly. "I can't let my guard down."

"When _do_ you let your guard down?" Karin joked. She smiled at him. "Good luck, Kuni,"

"Thank you," he said. He leaned down and gently brushed his lips against hers. As he parted the kiss, he slipped a dollar into her hand. "Go buy a Snapple; I'll meet you at the courts."

Karin only grinned and ran off to the nearest soda machine.

"Tezuka-buchou!" Momo called out as Tezuka walked into the courts, making the Seigaku team look towards him. Oishi looked around. "Where's Karin-chan?"

"She's buying Snapple," Tezuka replied and looked up to the top of the bleachers. There, three teams stood: Rokkaku Jr. High, the third seed and representatives of the Chiba prefecture, Yamabuki Jr. High and lastly, the champions: Rikkai Dai Fuzoku Jr. High.

Tezuka looked back at Oishi. "Karin will be bench coach again,"

Right then and there, Karin appeared on top of the bleachers. Smiling, she glanced to where the other schools stood. She waved at Sengoku. "Hey! You're the horny guy!"

Sengoku blushed but smiled. "Don't say that, Karin-chan!"

"Hey, you're that girl!" Kirihara pointed in shock. Karin recognized him immediately and waved at him too. "Hey Kirihara-kun; still going to that _Rika _place?"

"Rikkadai!" he corrected. Karin waved her hand in semi-understanding and started to walk down the bleachers to the coach's bench.

Kirihara huffed irritably but turned to a taller boy that was with him. He had a blue cap on and a stern expression, much like Tezuka's but probably worse. His eyes were sharp and a light hazel and his hair was jet black. "Sanada-fukubuchou; that's the girl that they call the Empress."

"Hmm," Sanada nodded, his eyes narrowing as he watched her talk to her team members and take a seat on the coach's bench. "I see."

Now, Singles 1 was officially going to start. Tezuka calmly walked up to to the front and waited for his opponent patiently. Atobe, who was still standing by his coach, smirked widely and slowly (and arrogantly) walked towards the net and turned to face Tezuka's stern expression.

"Hey, Tezuka," Atobe taunted, smirking. He pointed at his left arm. "Your arm isn't numb…is it?"


	49. Special Chibi TeniPuri Chapter!

**Today, the cast of **_**The Empress of Tennis**_** will change their forms and break loose from the usual plotline. These are called: **_**Special Chibi TeniPuri Chapters**_**!**

**First Mini Chapter  
>Super Sci-Fi TeniPuri<strong>

_Seeking to take over the Earth which shines in the Universe with his evil schemes, the Rudolphian, Mizuki, has landed on said planet to hatch his next plan…_

In a chibi counterpart world, the students of Seishun Gakuen ran for their lives as a giant green dinosaur stomped through the school grounds.

"Two years!" the dinosaur cried in fury. His eyes suddenly burst in light and stamped "2 years" on the walls and floors of Seigaku.

"Go wild, Horio-kun," Mizuki brainwashed Horio further. "Show Seigaku your two years of tennis experience!" Mizuki suddenly cringed at the annoying sound of the alarm. He looked at the alarm and then at the sky. Kaidoh appeared from a spark of light, landing right in front of the dinosaur Horio.

"Kaidoh!" Mizuki cried, making Kaidoh hiss in response. However, the Rudolphian chuckled. "You're really that arrogant? You think you can take us on by yourself? How naïve!"

"He can't take you guys alone!" said a voice. "That's why I'm here!"

Kaidoh looked back to see Momo with his racquet casually swung over his shoulder and a broad smirk plastered on his face. Kaidoh flared. "Why are you here? Get lost!"

"You're the one that's going to get injured if you just stand there!" Momo cried back. Kaidoh hissed. "You wanna fight?"

"Bring it on, Mamushi!"

"What are you two doing?" A new, stern voice scolded. The two juniors looked over to see their captain, Tezuka.

"Stop bickering!" Tezuka said sternly. He pointed at Mizuki and dinosaur Horio. "Go and destroy the enemy!"

Mizuki sighed irritably. "Three people…I guess that's still a fair fight…"

"Don't forget us!" yet another voice cried. Mizuki, startled, looked up to see that on the top of the building, stood the rest of the Seigaku team: Oishi, Kikumaru, Inui, Kawamura and Fuji. The team did acrobatic moves before landing swiftly on the ground before the enemy.

"Ok, eight people is defiantly overkill…" Mizuki mumbled, but then chuckled menacingly. "Just kidding…" Mizuki twirled a lock of his raven hair. "You're all so naïve. You think you've won? I have an ace up my sleeve!"

"Please, senpai!" the freshmen begged their upperclassmen. "That's Horio-kun!"

"Horio?" Tezuka questioned, looking up at the dinosaur. Kachiro, one of the freshmen, nodded. "Yes! Please save him!"

Tezuka flipped open a watch/phone and dialed Inui's number, even though Inui was only a foot away from him. "Inui, prepare a Special Inui Juice that will return Horio to his original form!"

"Yes!" Inui pulled a giant pot from who knows where, placed it on the ground and began to throw in random ingredients he found laying around. Fuji watched in shock as Tezuka was completely oblivious of the show.

"Now Horio-kun, destroy them!" Mizuki demanded. Horio proceeded to reach into his kangaroo pouch and pull out a racquet and tennis ball. The Seigaku team prepared for his serve, but Horio completely missed the easy underhand serve. With a red blush tinting his cheeks, he continued to toss tennis balls into underhand serves and miss them.

"That's Horio-kun alright…" Kachiro sighed. Katsuro nodded with a weak smile. "Yup."

Suddenly, two tennis balls whooshed into the scene. Both of them spun on the ground for a minute and then shot up to hit Horio square in the face. The impact threw the dinosaur freshman back and onto his back.

"Mada mada dane!" Echizen cried before he yelped as the cap he wore was pulled over his eyes. Karin swung her racquet over her shoulder with a smirk. "I told you to hurry up with the Ponta or we'd miss this!" Karin gestured at the dinosaur on the ground, knocked out. "When in hell will I ever get to see a freakin' dinosaur and serve the American Twist in his face! Epic!"

"My serve was the one that knocked him out…" Echizen muttered. Karin shook her head. "Nuh-uh, it was mine!"

"No, it was mine," Echizen said calmly. Karin sighed. "We should label the tennis balls next time."

"Everyone, follow their lead!" Tezuka ordered. Kaidoh quickly complied. "Boomerang Snake!" The ball whooshed and curved around Horio's head and smacked him in the back of his head.

"Kikumaru beam!" the red headed senior cried with a big smile.

"Dunk Smash!" Momo smashed the ball in Horio's direction. Horio was electrified by the Kikumaru beam and once that subsided, Momo's Dunk Smash tackled him.

"Moon Volley!" Oishi cried. Fuji opened his eyes. "Higuma Otoshi!"

"BURNING!" Kawamura exploded with flames. Horio was smacked with the Moon Volley lightly before being engulfed in flames and body slammed by a teddy bear.

Everyone thought the battle was over, but they were completely wrong. Horio towered over them, and with Mizuki's order, he began to evolve into an even bigger dinosaur.

"What is this, Pokemon now?" Karin raised an eyebrow. Kaidoh growled and jumped in the air. "Boomer—!" he was caught off by the fire Horio spat at him. He fell face first of the ground.

"Are you alright?" Oishi cried. Kaidoh tried to stand but winced. Fuji's eyebrows furrowed. "You're too injured Kaidoh."

"I won't give up…" he muttered. He wiped the dirt from his cheek. "Even if people around me start calling me _baka_, I'll—"

"BAKA BAKA!" Karin and Echizen cried, pointing. Momo jumped in. "BAKA MAMUSHI!" Laughing, the trio ran as Kaidoh chased them angrily. Tezuka sighed heavily, wondering when his girlfriend will act her age when Inui finally emerged from his inner world, holding up a neon green tennis ball. "Finished! My new V2 Inui Juice!"

Tezuka took the green tennis ball and observed it as Karin, Echizen and Momo ran by him with Kaidoh on their tails. Not looking their way, Tezuka grabbed Karin by the scruff of her jersey. "Karin, serve this to Horio."

"I can do it, buchou," Echizen pouted. Karin stuck her tongue out at him. "I get more privileges, Ryo-chan, deal with it," she tossed the ball in the air and served the ball with her absolute power, and Horio was forced to swallow it.

Mizuki tried to gain control of Horio but he gave up and resulted in using his Emergency Ejecting Seat and blasted off into space and back to his planet.

"Yay! We saved the world!" Karin jumped up and down. "Let's celebrate with Snapple!"

"Ponta's better…" Ryoma pouted with a smirk. "Mada mada dane!"

_And so, this is how the Seigaku tennis team defeated the Rudolphian Mizuki and saved the world from his wrath._

**Second Mini Chapter  
>The Story of Snow White<strong>

In a creepy, dark castle, the crazy witch/princess Ryuzaki Sumire stood. She fanned herself with a velvet fan with a grim face as she stood before the magic mirror.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall," she chanted. "Tell me who the prettiest of them all!"

Smoke appeared behind the glass of the mirror and before her stood a tall blonde man with striking, sharp blue eyes and a big broad grin. "The prettiest? Well, Michiko's very beauti—"

"It cannot be your wife for the thousandth time!" Ryuzaki threw the fan at the mirror, making it shake like a gelatin. The man in the mirror winced. "Hey that hurt!" he blew a blonde lock from his face and looked up in thought, as if he were solving a difficult math equation. "If I had to pick…it would be Snow-White," he split her name into syllables before pouting. "But I don't like that Prince Charming that's all up on her though…he pisses me off…"

"Oh so it's Snow White and not me?" Ryuzaki flared calmly. The man in the mirror shrugged. "Yeah, have you seen yourself in a mirror? Stop asking _me_ who the prettiest girl is and actually _use_ this mirror to fix yourself up. I have things to do you know."

"I see…I'm envious! I'm Jealous!" Ryuzaki cried out.

"Envious and jealous are the same thing…" the man in the mirror muttered while rolling his eyes. Ryuzaki ignored his comment and raised her hand. "Soldiers!"

"Yes!" a bunch of soldiers with moustaches suddenly appeared behind her. She pointed in the exit's direction. "Dispose of her!"

"Yes!" they answered before running in the direction. Ryuzaki's fingers twitched menacingly while she laughed like an evil villain. The man in the mirror rolled his brilliant blue eyes. "I really gotta start taking _normal_ jobs…"

Now, in a beautiful palace in lush forest, was Snow White. She twirled her chocolate brown hair in her fingers as she looked up at the sky absentmindedly. Prince Charming was on his way to take her on a date. She was so excited!

But the date will have to wait, for Ryuzaki's soldiers quickly put her in a star-patterned bag and dragged her away.

Somewhere in the forest were the Seigaku lumberjacks chopping down trees for firewood and such. Kaidoh, with snake eyes, lifted his axe and hissed. "Boomerang Snake Cut!" The rest of the lumberjacks watched the axe twirl towards a tree, scratch it and then come back. Kaidoh caught it and hissed.

"It didn't cut anything!" Momo snickered. Kaidoh flared. "Shut up! You have a problem with that?"

The youngest of the lumberjacks, Echizen, sighed and walked over to the snoozing Kawamura. He glanced down at the sleeping Taka-san and held up an axe. "Here you go, Kawamura-senpai,"

"BURNING!" he cried in rage and started to swing the axe. "OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!"

In a split second, about a week's worth of chopped trees were on the ground. Oishi smiled. "Good job everyone! Let's go home!" The lumberjacks calmly walked through the forest. Momo pouted as his stomach growled loudly. "Ah; I'm so hungry!"

"Then let's hurry so we can have some dinner," Oishi beamed happily. He blinked when he realized he walked over something and was now standing on it. "Huh?"

"What is it?" Echizen blinked as the rest of the lumberjacks observed the star-patterned bag. Fuji smiled softly. "I think Snow White's in it,"

"How do you know?" Oishi asked. Fuji smiled once more. "My sister always says that: 'Snow White will always be in a bag with a star pattern',"

"Snow White?" they all cried out and looked up to the sky where a thought bubble formed. A beautiful girl with sparkling blue eyes and short chocolate brown hair and a big smile was seen. They all blushed. "Wow, I've heard she's pretty!" Kikumaru sighed dreamingly.

"My sister also says that: 'Snow White is Prince Charming's fiancée'," Fuji smiled.

"Aww!" Momo snapped his fingers. "Damn that Prince Charming! Getting such a pretty girl like her!"

Suddenly, from the bag, Snow White popped up holding a thick stick for self defense. "HOW DARE YOU DIPSHITS KIDNAP ME!"

"RUN!" Oishi cried. The lumberjacks ran through the forest as Snow White chased them, swinging the stick in anger. "IMMA TURN YOU COW NIPPLES INSIDE OUT!"

"Heh, heh…" Snow White laughed weakly as she rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry, I thought you guys were the ones who kidnapped me…" She now stood in the lumberjacks' home. All of them bore big red bumps on their heads from the beating they received earlier.

Oishi winced. "It's ok, you did it for your defense,"

"Sorry," Snow White smiled and glanced at the kitchen. "I'll make you guys dinner, how about that?"

In a matter of seconds, the Seigaku lumberjacks stared in awe at the pot of Cream Mushroom Stew. Snow White smiled. "Eat up!"

As they ate, there was knocking on the door. Because of the chatter and laughter in the house, the knocks were ignored, making the woman behind it, flare. Ryuzaki, now clad in a black hood and holding an object in her hand, clenched her teeth angrily. "How dare they ignore me!"

The house fell silent as the door was randomly broken down. Ryuzaki glared at Snow White, who stood there with wide eyes. Ryuzaki's soldiers have done a horrible job at disposing of her, so she came here to face Snow White and finish the job herself. She held up the object in her hand, making Snow White's eyes sparkle.

"Apple flavored Snapple!" she cried and snatched the bottle from her. Snow White popped the bottle open and was about to drink it when…

"DON'T DRINK IT!" said a stern voice. They all looked at the broken down door to see Prince Charming, clad in his fancy prince attire. His hair spanned out over his forehead, just over his sharp, honey-brown eyes that flashed because of his thin-rimmed glasses. He unsheathed his sword and slashed the Snapple bottle. The glass bottle burst into pieces; the liquid and crystal fragments that now lay on the floor let out a smoky image of a skull, showing everyone that it was poisoned.

"NO!" Ryuzaki cried in fury. Quickly, she pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it against the floor. The smoke engulfed the place where she stood and then she was gone.

"Thanks for saving me, babe!" Snow White hugged Prince Charming excitably and kissed his cheek, making his glasses fog from the velvety red blush that stained his face. He cleared his throat as the lumberjacks cheered. "See why I tell you that you shouldn't let your guard down?"

**Third Mini Chapter  
>Tezuka Drinks Special Hyper Remix Love-Potion Inui Juice<strong>

In a lab, Inui Sadaharu chuckled darkly as he poured some blue liquid into the beaker, making a puff of smoke burst from it. Smirking wickedly, he poured another substance into the beaker which made it spit out a puff of smoke again, but it was shaped like a heart.

"It is complete!" he cried out like a mad scientist, observing the beaker that now held a pinkish liquid. Inui laughed.

It was a normal day in Seigaku's tennis courts. The regulars stood around chatting and laughing. Karin sat on the bench. Her feet didn't reach the court's pavement, thus, she swung them like a little girl does when she's excited.

"Karin-chan, have you seen Tezuka-buchou?" Kikumaru asked. Karin shrugged. "I don't know, I think he was getting a Snapple,"

Inui walked into the courts at the moment. He was preoccupied with what he was writing in his notebook though, so he just walked by calmly.

"KARIN!" everyone jumped at the voice. Each person looked over at the gate to see Tezuka standing there. His glasses flashed in the sunlight, a blush was painted on his cheeks and an empty Snapple bottle was in his hand. What freaked everyone out though was the smirk that was plastered on his handsome features.

Karin, surprised by his sudden outburst, jumped off the bench. "What's wrong Kuni?"

Tezuka's brown eyes flashed onto his girlfriend's ocean blue ones. He dashed over to her, the Snapple bottle thrown in a random direction. He stood before her with the same smirk as he took her hands in his.

"Karin, I love you," he said. "I love you so, so, so, so much!"

"Uh…ok…" Karin smiled awkwardly. Tezuka smiled. "Tell me you love me!"

"I love you too…" Karin said with a crooked smile. Tezuka smiled and hugged her off her feet. "I love you!" He put her down and then dashed out of the courts, telling the people he passed by that he loves Namikaze Karin.

"Ok that's just effing creepy," Karin turned to the Seigaku regulars, who were completely shocked by their captain's outburst. Karin glared at Inui, who was smirking while writing in his notebook. "Sadaharu!"

"Yes~?" Inui smirked. Karin grabbed his jersey. "What the hell did you do to him?"

"I made him fall in love with you even more," Inui fixed his glasses on his face. "I've noticed he isn't very affectionate in public, so I fixed that by slipping some of my new Special Hyper Remix Love-Potion Inui Juice into his Snapple!"

"You retard!" Karin smacked him on the head. "Now he's creepy as hell! Can you turn him back?"

"Uh…I'll try…"

Later on that day, Karin sat on the bench resting from the game she just played.

"Karin!"

Karin sighed heavily as Tezuka hugged her happily. "Sweetie, you know I love you right?"

"You've screamed it out five _hundred_ times," Karin blinked. "I got it."

The Seigaku snickered as they watched lovey-dovey Tezuka glomp an irritated Karin. To just put it out there, she liked Tezuka when he was monotonous and stern and only showed his affectionate side in private. Just seeing this drugged state he's in makes Karin utterly uncomfortable. It's her job to embarrass, not his. Having the roles reversed is just weird.

"Hey, where's Tezuka-buchou?" Kikumaru asked. Karin, sitting on the bench, shrugged. "I don't know—"

The gates of the tennis court swung open. Everyone looked over to see the more-than-usual stoic face of Tezuka. He walked into the courts sternly. He ignored Karin and walked to the team. "Everyone, I need all of you to warm up and then…"

Karin, now utterly pissed, took Inui's lapel and pulled him down to her level. "What did you do now?" her words were interlaced with venom, which made him gulp.

"You didn't like lovey-dovey Tezuka, so I made him more serious," he answered swiftly. Karin sighed heavily and gripped his jersey tighter. "You said you made him more serious and stricter?"

"Yes," Inui gulped. He didn't know what she was up to, but it sounded threatening.

"Kuni," Karin released Inui and made a pouty face. Tezuka looked over. "Hnn?"

"Sadaharu is saying bad things to me!" she flailed like a baby. "He made me sad!"

"No I didn't!" Inui cried hysterically. Tezuka's glasses flashed. "Inui…."

As Tezuka threatened Inui, Karin smirked. A stricter Tezuka means a more protective Tezuka. Karin sighed heavily and leaned back against the bench.

"I hope he turns back soon…" she muttered as the team tried to pry Tezuka off of Inui. Karin smiled triumphantly.

**To be Continued…**


	50. Seigaku's Pillar of Support

Atobe calmly walked onto the court, a wide smirk on his face.

"Hyotei, Hyotei, Hyotei!" his supporters cried continuously. Atobe's smirk widened and he lifted his arm and pointed at the sky. To everyone's surprise, their cheers changed.

"Atobe, Atobe, Atobe!"

"What the hell…?" Karin muttered, watching him with squinted eyes.

Atobe walked with his finger pointed to the sky. He smirked and glanced at some girls from his school that happened to be sitting on the bleachers, and he winked at them, making them shriek in delight.

To add to the confusion of Seigaku and to the surprise of the onlookers, Atobe stopped in his track and moved his arm and pointed to the side, making the Hyotei team change their chant once more.

"The winner will be Hyotei, the winner will be Hyotei!"

Karin's eyebrows furrowed and she shifted her glance to meet with Tezuka's. Despite having his usual stoic expression, his eyes told Karin that he was just as disturbed by the sight. Karin let out a laugh at Tezuka's reaction and Atobe's display. She leaned back against the bench and smirked.

Now, Atobe put his arm down and held out his racquet, and once more, their chants shifted.

"The winner will be Atobe, the winner will be Atobe!"

Now, he moved his arms as if he was an orchestra conductor and mixed his supporters' chants to his liking.

"The winner will be Hyotei! The winner will be Atobe!"

"This is ridiculous," Karin said to herself silently, shaking her head. For some reason, as the chants continued, Karin foresaw what the arrogant and narcissistic Hyotei tennis team captain was about to do.

"The winner will be Hyotei!" they cheered loudly. "The winner will be—!"

They were cut off by a snap of Atobe's fingers that pointed to the sky. Atobe, with a smirk wider than the country of Russia, unzipped his jacket and tossed it in the air. The jacket flew in the air, before gravity took a toll on it and it started to slowly make its way down. Atobe waited to hear the sound of it against the pavement before taking a breath and parting his lips to say—

"Kunimitsu!"

The court fell silent and all heads turned to the coach's bench where Karin stood excitably with a big smile. The American girl stuck her tongue out at Atobe and smirked. "Beat ya to it!"

Seigaku and all the onlookers roared with laughter at the scene. Tezuka raised his eyebrows and covered his mouth his hand to keep himself from smirking. Atobe wore an irritated smirk as a light blush of embarrassment stained his cheeks. How dare she ruin his perfect entrance!

"Satisfied?" Tezuka teased indirectly. Atobe merely scoffed at his mockery and shook Tezuka's hand.

"Mada mada dane, Karin-senpai," Echizen smirked. Karin laughed and spoke in English. "_Yeah, I'm probably gonna get shot after this…_"

"Singles 1 match between Hyotei Gakuen and Seishun Gakuen will now begin," the referee announced. "One set match, Hyotei's Atobe to serve."

Now in their respected places on the court, Atobe dribbled the ball on the court and tossed it over his head. The moment his racquet connected with the ball, Tezuka sprung into action, moving towards the right. He was already in the perfect return spot when the ball bounced into the service box and towards him. He returned swiftly, his stern expression unfazed.

With his amazing footwork, Atobe stepped back and returned the powerful shot with equal strength. Tezuka ran towards the shot and returned it. Atobe looked closely at the net before returning. Tezuka noticed his eye movements and realized what his opponent was planning when the ball hit the tip on the net. He ran towards the net and sliding on his feet, he made a perfect drop shot.

Atobe however, was two steps ahead and he jumped in the air. He smashed the drop shot. Tezuka reacted quickly and reached out for the ball but his racquet was blasted out of his hand, landing a few feet behind him.

"15-love!"

"Be awed by my prowess," Atobe said arrogantly, smirking at the frowning Tezuka. The Hyotei side of the bleachers erupted with cheers as the two shared a quick conversation.

"What's the matter, Tezuka?" Atobe taunted. "Not as fast as you were."

"Nice drive volley," Tezuka said simply as he picked up his racquet. Atobe smirked. "Why, thank you."

Atobe served quickly, and Tezuka returned just as quickly, aiming directly at the corner.

"Aiming at the corners already, huh?" Atobe laughed to himself as he returned the shot. Tezuka remained emotionless as he returned again, aiming at the opposite corner.

"I don't like his insight," Inui muttered. The freshmen looked over. "What do you mean?"

"His insight lets him see his opponents' weaknesses," Fuji explained simply. He opened his eyes, watching the two rally continuously. Karin was hearing the conversation. There are only a handful of people who possess something as rare as a good insight and Atobe of all people has it.

Tezuka suddenly hit a cord ball. Atobe ran over quickly, but managed to lob it. Tezuka jumped in the air and smashed the ball with all his strength. Hyotei's captain however, wasn't about to let that shot go to waste. He surprisingly caught the ball in his racquet and returned it.

"Wasn't that a Jack Knife?" Momo muttered. Fuji nodded. "Yeah…"

Tezuka returned the ball with his usual stern expression. Atobe hit the ball right back.

"Already Kuni…?" Karin muttered with a smirk, watching his movements. He hasn't moved from that position for a few minutes and his left foot moved around in a circle around his opposite foot, depending on the shot. She wondered how long it would take for everyone to realize what he was doing.

Much to Karin's displeasure, she and Atobe have the same mental wavelength when it comes to tennis. He suspected Tezuka was up to something, so he returned the ball to a corner and watched in shock as his return made its way back to Tezuka. Karin remembered she did the same exact thing when she played against him.

Finally, everyone watching the match started to mutter amongst themselves, finally realizing that Tezuka was not moving from his spot on the middle of the court and the fact that all of Atobe's returns are making their way towards him.

"Tezuka Zone," Inui said.

Tezuka watched the ball carefully and made the finishing shot. The ball crashed to Atobe's court, and said teenager made no effort to return it.

"15 all!"

Atobe laughed to himself, making Tezuka's eyes sharpen. He smirked at his opponent. "Pretty good, aren't you, Tezuka?" he paused. "With that arm of yours…"

"_Shit,_" Karin cussed silently in her native tongue.

"You're left arm…its hurting now, isn't it?" Atobe continued with his hand on his face. "Right?"

"No way! Tezuka's elbow is completely healed!" Oishi cried. Atobe chuckled to himself. "Oh, so it's the elbow?"

Oishi's eyes widened, realizing what he just did. Karin slapped his forehead. _Oh god…_ she thought irritably.

As Oishi explained his reason for his sudden outburst to the younger Seigaku members, Karin watched Tezuka in thought. He had told her the story that Oishi was now telling the younger team members. She already knew the story; Oishi had told her the day she'd followed Tezuka and Echizen to the park where they played a game. But now, Tezuka had told her his story in detail, filling the gaps Oishi had left.

"**So you really wanted to quit, huh?" Karin asked. The two sat on the couch in Karin's house watching TV. Kazu had come over to see Karin's grandfather, so the two have some time to spend together.**

"**Hnn, I was pretty serious," he responded. "But Yamato-buchou managed to change my mind." **

"**Who's that?" Karin asked. Tezuka petted Jewel, who was on his lap. "The captain of the tennis team when I was in freshmen year,"**

"**Ah, and how did he change your mind?" Karin raised an eyebrow. "Because when you're cereal about shit; you're cereal."**

**Tezuka made a small, adorable smirk. "He told me that I was Seigaku's pillar of support."**

"**Seigaku's pillar of support…?" Karin said thoughtfully and then grinned. "Cute; and you're gonna live up to that title?"**

"**I will," Tezuka said. Karin smiled.**

She was snapped out of her flashback when she saw that everyone was muttering to themselves. Looking closely, she realized that Tezuka did his infamous Zero-shiki drop shot. The ball rested calmly on the hem of the net on Atobe's side of the court, where said teenager stood in surprise. Tezuka looked at Atobe, a fire burning in his honey-brown eyes.

"Don't hold back Atobe," he said sternly.

"Game, Seigaku! One game to love!" the referee called out.

Tezuka continued. "The real game starts now."


	51. The Outcome

"Game Seigaku! 3 games to 2! Change court!" the referee called out. Seigaku cheered.

"Alright! Tezuka-buchou is in the lead!" Horio cheered.

"Are you ok?" Karin asked as Tezuka sat on the bench next to her. Tezuka took a sip from his water bottle and sighed. "Hnn, I'm fine,"

"Don't strain yourself, Kuni," she told him, even though she knew he wouldn't listen. She knew that he was willing to risk everything for the Nationals.

"I won't Karin, trust me," he said softly. Karin pouted worryingly as he stood and made his way to the court again.

The two soon began rallying. At some point, much to everyone's surprise, Atobe didn't smash the lob that Tezuka made, making something click in Tezuka, Karin, Fuji and Inui's mind.

Atobe made a sudden, strong return, making Tezuka's racquet fly out of his hand. Atobe smirked. He figured it out. Supposedly, his elbow was completely healed, but using his insight, he realized that his shoulder had some faults. His plan, although unfair, would guarantee his win: once Tezuka realizes he's aiming to destroy his arm, he would back away if he really loves tennis and thus, it would make it Atobe's win. Simple.

But it was easier said than done, Atobe realized.

The two rallied endlessly. They each returned shot after shot. Karin watched in awe, watching how far Tezuka is willing to take his passion for this. She realized that Atobe was looking for a long match on purpose, using his prior knowledge of Tezuka's injured elbow. He knew that a long match would cause damage.

She wanted to yell out that Atobe was nothing but a cheater, but she realized that Tezuka was bringing this on himself too. Karin knows, by the way he's playing, that Tezuka actually wants a long match. Since the beginning, she realized. He wants to prove that he is Seigaku's pillar of support; whether he risks his arm or his future career. He wants to accomplish something; and he's willing to do anything to do so.

He's actually looking for a long match! Atobe finally realized Tezuka strategy. Atobe doesn't know what his reason for fighting and risking so much, but Atobe is just as willing to fight.

"Game, Tezuka! 6 games to 5!"

Seigaku cheered loudly. Tezuka was now in the lead, and Atobe was seriously pissed by his persistence. He seriously believed that Tezuka would back away once he realized what he was aiming for.

Karin whipped out her phone and slid the bar to the right and unlocked it. Her eyebrows furrowed as she locked the phone once more and placed it in her shorts' pocket. They've been playing for 1.5 hours.

"It's pointless to take anymore data," Inui closed his notebook. Momo frowned. "How come, Inui-senpai?"

"He's right," Fuji said, opening his sky blue eyes. "It depends on determination from now on…"

Tezuka dribbled the ball calmly, then glanced at the court. Taking a deep breath, he tossed the ball I the air and served the ball swiftly. The ball landed o Atobe's court, perfectly into the corner of the service box.

"He still has that type of control in the final game?" Oishi cried out in shock. Karin smirked. _Oh Kuni…_ she shook her head. _You're challenging Atobe…that's so childish of you… _

Tezuka lobbed the ball. Atobe ran towards the lob, planning to do his Rondo Towards Destruction. He jumped in the air and smashed the ball directly at Tezuka's grip, which bounced back, but he was shocked when he saw that he lowered his racquet in an instant to avoid it.

Seeing as his attempt failed, Atobe returned the ball towards his weak side, but the ball curved towards Tezuka's position on the middle of the court, all thanks to the Tezuka Zone. Tezuka surprisingly mad a swift drop shot, which made Atobe spring to the net. However, the ball rolled towards the net.

_Zero-Shiki drop shot…_ Atobe thought, glancing up at Tezuka's stern expression. _This guy is really something…_

Tezuka served and quickly got the point.

"30-love!"

Again, they rallied and Tezuka swiftly got the point.

"40-love!"

Karin smiled. _C'mon Kuni, you're almost there!_

As Tezuka stood on the court, ready to serve, an uneasy feeling washed over Karin like a tidal wave. She gulped and she gripped her shorts. When he tossed the ball over his head, Karin realized then and there that some of her mother's natural instincts for injuries were passed on to her.

Tezuka's racquet suddenly slipped away from his hand and, gripping his shoulder in utter pain, he collapsed on his knees.

Karin stood from the bench, but stood paralyzed on the spot as she watched her teammates rush over to their captain.

"Stop!" Tezuka barked, making them halt. Tezuka reluctantly picked up his racquet and stood on his feet. "Don't come; this game isn't over."

Tezuka sat in silence as Karin checked on his arm. She gently felt his shoulder with her thumb, making him gulp, swallowing his pain. Karin could tell that he'd defiantly injured his shoulder, but he hadn't broken it, which is a good thing…in a way.

"You're not going to quit, right?" Karin asked softly. Tezuka kept looking down at his shoes. He remained silent for a while before answering. "Do you want me too?"

"Will you if I say yes?"

Tezuka remained silent. Karin sighed and checked his elbow. His elbow was throbbing in pain; she was surprised that he could still play with such pain.

"No," he answered suddenly. Karin sighed. "Why does that not surprise me? You're an idiot."

Tezuka nodded. "I know." He glanced at Karin. "Can you…?" he held out his arm. Karin automatically understood.

"It'll only numb the joints of your elbow, not your shoulder," she told him but he nodded. "Please?"

Karin took his wrist and with her dominant hand, she jabbed at his elbow. "How's that?"

"Hnn," he opened and closed his hand, nodding. "Thank you, Karin,"

"Tezuka, you don't plan on continuing, do you?" Oishi said worryingly. Tezuka stood from the bench. "I am going to continue, Oishi."

"You're really going to live up to your title…you're going to open a path to the Nationals," Oishi said and nodded. "Do your best, Tezuka."

"SEIGAKU!" said a familiar voice. Everyone looked up to see Kawamura holding up the flag with Ryuzaki standing nearby. She frowned. "Calm down, you were just at the hospital!"

"Does this mean I'm not bench coach anymore…?" Karin made a pouty face. Ryuzaki sighed. "Karin, get out."

Sighing, Karin stood and, catching her eyes with Tezuka's, she winked at him. Tezuka's expression remained stern, but in his eyes, he was smiling.

"Sorry for the wait, Atobe," Tezuka told him as he approached the court. "We'll finish this fight."

Atobe, surprised by his determination, frowned.

The game was endless. Despite starting from 40-0, Atobe won the game, resulting in 6 games to 6. Because of this, the referee called for a tie-breaker.

Atobe served, and almost instantly, Tezuka returned and got the point. Atobe's eyes widened. _This guy is still trying!_

Tezuka couldn't serve normally, since the pain on his shoulder was unbearable.

"The pain for Tezuka must be awful," Fuji commented. Karin, now sitting on the bleachers, nodded. "That's not even half of it Shusuke; he's suffering, but he doesn't show it."

"That's Tezuka for you," Fuji shrugged.

The tie-break wasn't helping on deciding on a winner. Each time one would get a point, the other would get a point and it repeated itself. This was a battle of will; who will be first to give up and who will be strong enough to win this never ending tie-break.

_I misjudged you Tezuka,_ Atobe thought in awe. _I thought you were calmer and calculating…I never thought you were this reckless! You have such a determination and passion for Seigaku that's inhuman! I never thought you would be so willing to risk everything for Seigaku. You've taught me something Tezuka; you've taught me to try hard in everything I do and that's why I'm trying hard in every shot I return; no matter how long this tie-break takes!_

"35-34! Tezuka leads!"

"35 all!"

"35-36! Atobe leads!"

"Neither of them want to give up the two points," Inui fixed his glasses. "This is a battle of psyche, not technique."

_I never thought I'd see you this way Tezuka,_ Atobe thought once more. _There are not a lot of players in this world that can play like this…who knew we would be playing like this…?_

Tezuka returned the ball. Atobe clenched his jaw. He was just about reaching his limit, but he wasn't going to let himself lose like this. He returned the ball swiftly. Tezuka took a stance, a fire shining behind his eyes. Everyone gasped as he sliced the ball with his racquet, making the Zero-Shiki drop shot.

Atobe hissed, and dashed to the net, trying to catch up to the ball before it bounced. However, the ball did bounce but it did not go in reverse and thus, Atobe caught up to it and made a very small lob. Tezuka activated his Tezuka Zone, bring the ball towards him. Atobe, crouched over the court's pavement, watched in horror as Tezuka returned the ball…but it hit the net.

"Game and match, Hyotei!"

No one cheered. The court fell completely silent. Everyone stood in shock, but Tezuka stood on the court completely oblivious and took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing his eyes as a wave of calmness washed over him.

At the net, Tezuka and Atobe shook hands, but before Tezuka could let go, Atobe gripped his hand and held it up in respect for him.

"That was the best match I've ever played, Tezuka," Atobe told him silently as the courts roared with cheers. Tezuka just stared at him as Atobe's eyes showed shame. "I apologize for what I did. I will swear to all the things in my life that make me happy that I will never do such a thing again."

Tezuka knew exactly what he meant. He nodded. "I understand Atobe."

"You did awesome!" Karin glomped Tezuka as he walked over to the coach's bench. Surprised by her sudden action, he could only wrap one arm around her, for the other held his racquet. "Thank you,"

She faced him and smiled. "You're an idiot, Kuni," she giggled. "You're my idiot."

Tezuka gave her a small smile. Just as he made the gesture to lean into her—

"By the way!" a voice called out. They looked over to see Atobe smirking at them, a towel on his head and a water bottle in his hand. "You two make an adorable couple!" He finally figured it out.

Tezuka blushed and rolled his eyes, but Karin saw no difference and grinned and waved. "Thanks!"

Since there was a tie between the schools, there would be a singles match between the substitutes: Echizen vs. Hiyoshi Wakashi.

"15-love!"

The Twist Serve whooshed past a shocked Hiyoshi. As the Hyotei team muttered amongst themselves, Karin laughed. "Ha! He's taking Ryo-chan like a joke!"

"That's their mistake," Fuji chuckled. Karin adjusted her hat. "A very big mistake; Ryo-chan's got this in the bag…" she pulled out her iPhone and turned it on, switching to her new game: Temple Run. "See if you can beat Kuni's record, Shusuke," Karin pouted. "He beat _my_ record!"

"Hmm?" Tezuka looked back from his place in the coach's bench. "Did you say something, Karin?"

Ryoma served again, but this time, Hiyoshi managed to return it. Echizen however, had an ace up his sleeve. He took a familiar stance and he swiftly made a drop shot but as it crossed to Hiyoshi's side, it bounced but went in reverse.

"We should seriously copyright our moves," Karin said, shaking her head. Inui smirked. "You copy moves, Karin-chan,"

She took a pause before she spat, "It doesn't count for me."

Suddenly, after the two changed courts, Hiyoshi made a weird stance after Echizen returned the ball. Hiyoshi returned the ball like the speed of lightning.

"Gekokujyou!" Hiyoshi said.

"He looks like the crane from _Kung Fu Panda_," Karin commented, making Fuji snicker.

The two rallied until the score was 2 games to 1; Hiyoshi unfortunately leading with that "Enbutenshu".

"Huh…you're unexpectedly good…" Echizen smirked "And this Genkokjyou thing…doesn't that mean that a lower class person beats a higher class person?" Echizen switched his racquet to his left hand hand pointed it at Hiyoshi. Earning gasps from the crowd, he smirked widely. "So you're technically calling yourself low class."

The game went swiftly in Echizen's favor. He kept on using the Drive B, surprising Hyotei and kept on using his famed Twist Serve when it was his service game.

"He's releasing all the stress he had in being a substitute," Inui explained. Karin laughed. "Poor Hiyoshi-kun,"

Fuji chuckled. "This is actually the best pace he's had so far; this might mean we have a new Echizen."

"Looks like Tezuka's teachings have had a toll on him," Oishi smiled.

"Game, Seigaku! 5 games to 2!"

Echizen dribbled the ball with his racquet, smirking at the shocked Hiyoshi. Echizen tossed the ball over his head. "Mada mada dane!"

"Game and match, Seigaku! 6 games to 2!" the referee called out. "Seigaku wins with a score of 3-2 and a no game!"


	52. Cheer Up!

Sighing, Karin walked down the hallways to practice. She felt awfully alone in class today, since Tezuka wasn't present. He didn't even show up to report in. She had texted him during class, thankfully without being caught, but he didn't reply.

_I guess I'll pass by his house today and see what's up_, she thought as she closed the door to the girl's locker rooms, dressed in her tennis attire.

"Everyone, gather around!" Ryuzaki said, walking into the courts. The regulars, who were playing light rallies to warm up, looked at each other, shrugged and walked over to where their coach was, along with the other tennis team members.

"First of all, good job on your matches against Hyotei," Ryuzaki started, eyeing everyone. The regulars stood at the front, juniors and seniors in back of them and the freshmen in the sidelines. "It was probably the hardest game we've ever played so there's no time to stand around. We have to prepare in the best way possible for our next Kantou match; there are many strong schools waiting for us. That is all."

"But Ryuzaki-sensei…!" Oishi stepped forward. The coach glanced at him with wide eyes. "What is it?"

Oishi hesitated before answering. "About Tezuka…"

Everyone tensed at the hearing of the name, but they all naturally glanced in question at the closest person to him: Namikaze Karin. Having all eyes on her, she flailed her arms. "Don't look at me; I don't know crap!"

Ryuzaki sighed as all eyes shifted onto her. "You've all seen his injury," she said. "He won't be back for a while."

"I understand…" Oishi nodded slowly. Ryuzaki turned towards the gate. "I'm counting on you to keep the club in line for now, Oishi,"

"Yes, sensei," he nodded dutifully.

"This is a practice menu Inui made for us regulars," Oishi held up a piece of paper. "It's guaranteed to overcome the problems we faced when we played against Hyotei."

"Does this include me playing doubles?" Karin raised her hand. "I don't wanna play doubles; it sucks,"

"No, it's for individual purposes," Inui responded. "Partners and combinations will be practiced later on."

"Ok," Karin grinned. "I'm gonna go get my hat, I forgot it in my bag," Karin jogged towards the bench where her bag sat. As she unzipped her bag, Karin paused as an idea popped into her head. Smirking, she calmly zipped the bag closed again and looked back at her team members. She slowly swung her bag over her shoulder ever so swiftly tip-toed out of the courts. After changing into her skinny jeans, t-shirt that had a cow looking at a gallon of milk saying "I AM YOUR FATHER" and her black low-cut Converse sneakers, Karin slowly closed the door of the locker rooms. However, the moment she turned, she was face to face with Coach Ryuzaki Sumire.

"And where do you think you're going?" Ryuzaki raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest while she smirked. Karin grinned meekly. "What's up, Sumire-chan? It's a beautiful day! Did you get a new haircut?"

"Karin," she scolded, but in a playful way. She knew Karin wasn't up to anything bad.

"I wanna go see Kuni," Karin pouted. "Do you mind if I skip practice today? Please?"

Ryuzaki pretended to think about it. She smiled and ruffled Karin's hair. "Go ahead; I'll make up some excuse for the team,"

"Thanks!" Karin smiled and with that ran off. She took the bus and after a few blocks, she reached the Tezuka household.

She hopped on each stepping stone until she reached the front porch of Tezuka's house. She rung the doorbell and waited patiently. After about a minute, Tezuka Ayana answered the door. At seeing Karin, she smiled happily.

"Karin-chan, it's good to see you!" she stepped aside. "Come inside."

"You too Ayana-san," Karin walked in and slipped her sneakers off and placed her bag next to Tezuka's who was against the wall next to his tennis shoes. Karin turned to Ayana. "How's Kunimitsu?"

Ayana took a deep breath before absentmindedly looking up the stairs that lead to her son's room. "He hasn't come out of his room since we came back from the doctor's this morning. He hasn't even come to down to eat…" Ayana sighed and smiled weakly at Karin. "Can you try to cheer him up?"

"Yeah, I'll try," Karin nodded and started to make her way up the stairs. "Last door to the left, right?" It was the first time she ever went up to the upstairs floor of the Tezuka household.

"Yes, good luck," Ayana nodded and headed towards the kitchen. Karin headed up the stairs and went over to the last door on the left. Taking a breath, she softly knocked on the door.

"I'm not hungry, okaa-san," his deep voice said through the door. Karin rolled her eyes and opened the door. There, on his bed, he lay under the sheets. His glasses were on the nightstand and his back was facing Karin. "Do I look like yo mamma?" she asked with a grin.

In shock, he sat up and looked over, squinting. "Karin?"

"Yes?" Karin shut the door softly and walked over to him. She couldn't help but giggle at seeing his always so neatly brushed hair tousled on his head. He wore a plain white t-shirt; the rest of his body was unseen because of the sheets.

"What are you doing here?" he asked calmly. Karin sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled. "I came to see you; I texted you this morning and you didn't answer."

"I'm sorry…" he reached for his glasses, but Karin beat him to it. She placed them on top of her head, grinning. He frowned but sighed. "Aren't you supposed to be in practice?"

"I'm skipping today," she said simply, scooting closer to him. "I wanted to cheer you up; you look like shit."

Tezuka remained silent. Karin's eyebrows ceased. She climbed on the bed, sat next to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "C'mon, cheer up."

"I'm sorry Karin," Tezuka took his glasses from her head and slipped them on, then wrapped his right arm around her waist and rested his cheek on top of her head. "I'm just—"

"Pissed, upset?" Karin suggested. He sighed and showed her his left arm, which he'd been concealing with his body. He wore a splint on his elbow that kept it at a perfect 90 degree angle.

"Oh you poor thing," Karin cooed, taking his hand and lacing her fingers together. "But wasn't your shoulder what was injured?"

"Yes, the doctor said that nothing was broken but it was affected because of my previous injury on the elbow. This keeps my shoulder and my elbow at an angle so it doesn't hurt…as much…"

"Hmm…" Karin hummed sadly and leaned into him, giving him a light kiss on the lips. He leaned in a bit for a longer kiss, something Karin didn't mind. They shared a slow kiss for a minute until Tezuka pulled away from her, sighing.

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up Karin," he said softly. "But I don't think I'll be getting out of bed anytime soon."

"What happened to my strict Kuni that woke up at six in the morning for no freakin' reason?" Karin pouted. Tezuka's eyes softened but his expression remained solemn. "Karin, please; I'm not in the mood."

"Fine," Karin stood from the bed and glanced around the room. She went to one of his drawers and opened it but it was filled with shirts. She closed it and opened the one next to it and it was just what she was looking for.

Tezuka knew what drawer she'd opened and blushed. Karin pouted to herself, but didn't turn his way. "You have boring underwear, Kuni. Get something like _Family Guy_ and _The Simpsons_ boxers and Speedos that have the Superman logo in the front or that say 'Home of the Whopper'." Karin turned only to see his confused face.

"Home of the Whopper?" was Tezuka's intelligent question. Karin laughed and shrugged. "What? My dad has this Speedo that says 'Big Guns Downstairs' in the front. He wears it on random occasions while eating ice-cream."

Tezuka snickered, making Karin giggle. "Made ya laugh!"

"You always make me laugh Karin," he extended his right arm. "Come here."

Karin walked over and sat on the bed with him, hugging him tightly. He hugged her with his only available arm, but Karin didn't care. Karin felt his chest rise in a sigh and she felt him kiss the top of her head.

"I love you, Karin," he whispered. Karin smiled softly. "I love you too, Kuni,"


	53. Mix Club Day

"Good morning, Karin," Jun smiled as Karin walked into the kitchen with Jewel at her feet. Ramesses, who was already in the kitchen, barked happily at his owner and then proceeded to wolf down his meal.

"Mornin'," Karin yawned as she sat down. She picked up her fork and started to eat her usual breakfast: scrambled eggs, sausage links, bacon, toast and a cup of orange juice.

Her grandfather, who was reading the newspaper and drinking his cup of hot tea, watched her with squinted eyes and scoffed. "I don't know how you can eat that for breakfast."

"I don't know how you can eat _that_," Karin pointed her fork at his breakfast, which was a bowl of rice, another with soup and a plate with a fried fish.

"Can you two stop it?" Jun sighed as she sat down at the table. Satoshi rolled his eyes and watched his granddaughter eat. "You're a little relaxed; don't you have practice this morning?"

"Nah," Karin drank a bit of orange juice. "Today's Mix-Club Day."

"What the hell's that?" Satoshi asked. Jun sighed. "Don't you remember when Michiko had Mix-Club Day when she was in Seigaku?"

Satoshi blinked and shrugged. "Sorry, doesn't ring a bell…"

"Looks like the years are getting to you, ojii-san," Karin joked. "Mix-Club Day is when you can sign up for another sport that you're not involved with and the best part is: there's no classes!"

"Ah, good for you," Satoshi grinned. "How's Kunimitsu? I heard from Kazu that he's livelier since you visited him yesterday."

"Yeah, I texted him just now," Karin took out her iPhone and skimmed through the messages. "He's still not gonna go to school since he has that thing on and he can't write so I'll have to bring him the work he missed and help him out today after school."

"That's nice," Jun gestured at the clock. "You're going to be late."

"Oh!" she drank the rest of her orange juice and stood, swinging her tennis bag over her shoulder. "See ya!"

"Basketball, soccer, baseball, volleyball, badminton, tennis and ping pong," Tomo-chan said thoughtfully as she stood in Seigaku's courtyard with her best friend Sakuno and the freshmen trio. "There's a lot to choose from!"

"Yeah…" Sakuno said timidly. Mizuno smiled. "I wonder what our senpais are participating in."

"I wanted to watch all of their matches so that's why I lost my soccer game!" Horio said; a big red blister on his forehead as proof. Tomo-chan flared. "You lost because you suck!" She's following Karin's examples.

"SHUT UP!" he cried.

Now, inside the school, the freshmen walked towards the volleyball section where Oishi and Kikumaru were playing in a team. The two were in perfect sync, despite playing volleyball.

"Those two would've joined the volleyball team if it wasn't for tennis," Fuji appeared behind them, making them turn. Tomo-chan laughed. "I bet! They're awesome!"

In the same gym, to the far left, was Momo playing basketball. He dunked with amazing force, making the juniors in the opposing team step back and wince.

Horio whistled. "Momo-chan-senpai has so much power!"

Fuji nodded. "Yup." He opened his eyes when he saw that a shuttlecock from the badminton game happening next to the basketball court hit him in the cheek, making him miss the dunk. Momo turned to see none other than Kaidoh Kaoru.

"Hey mamushi! I hope you didn't do that on purpose!" Momo cried. Kaidoh hissed. "Whatever; stop being so loud."

"What's going on?" Oishi walked over with Kikumaru. Katsuro laughed weakly. "Kaidoh-senpai hit Momo-senpai and now they're fighting about it."

"Ah nya~!" Kikumaru sighed. "Those two fight over anything!"

They watched as Kaidoh went back to the game. His opponent serve, but as it flew out, Kaidoh made his signature stance and unleashed his Boomerang Snake.

"Out!" the referee cried, making the junior look confused. Oishi smiled. "Badminton isn't tennis…"

"You suck mamushi!" Momo laughed at him. "Don't confuse badminton with tennis!"

"Shut up!" Kaidoh cried, grabbing him by the shirt. Momo flared. "You wanna start this mamushi?"

"Bring it!"

"Hey hey!" Oishi squeezed through the confused freshmen and sighing Fuji and Kikumaru. "No fighting!"

Fuji looked at his watch and smiled. "Hey, while Oishi cools those two off, why don't we go see the baseball game?"

"Yeah!" Tomo-chan cried. "I heard Kawamura-senpai's team is going up against Inui-senpai and Karin-senpai's team!"

They all walked outside to the baseball field. They all saw Karin standing at the pitcher's base at the center of the field; her glove in her right hand and the ball in her left and she wore green sweatpants and a white t-shirt and her signature red Adidas cap. She was lucky to even find a lefty glove; she was the only lefty on the team. Inui nominated her to be pitcher since she specializes in serves in tennis, thus she has the most control. He withdrew as catcher.

"_BURNING!_" Taka-san held out the bat. The freshmen, Fuji and Kikumaru, who were watching, sighed.

"He's like that even when he's not playing tennis…" Fuji chuckled.

"Ha! A girl playing as _pitcher_?" Taka-san taunted Karin, who was calmly tossing the ball into her glove, then removing it and then tossing it back in continuously. She watched him take his position and then eyed Inui, who was behind him, knelt down as catcher. With his glove-less hand, he signaled her a two with his fingers, and then pointed upwards.

Smirking, Karin nodded and bent her back over, resting her gloved hand on her knee and the hand that held the ball on her back. She spun the ball in her fingers behind her back as her eyes scanned the area. She's played baseball before obviously; in Miami, baseball is a well-known and famed sport.

She stood straight and raised her leg so her knee touched her belly. As if in slow motion, her arm swung over her shoulder and then she unleashed the ball with a small jump. Fuji chuckled. "That's the form of…"

The ball, which had a powerful spin to it, dipped to the ground, spun and then shot upwards. Kawamura was surprised at this, but Inui was prepared, stood up and lifted his glove, catching it in midair.

"Strike one!"

"American Twist Serve!" the freshmen cried.

Now, Inui made the American Sign Language symbol of a B; which was just an open hand like when someone gestures a 'stop'. Karin nodded in understanding and pitched again. The ball dipped towards the ground in midfield, but then with its spin, it bounced again and right into Inui's glove and Taka-san's missed swing, creating the shape of a B.

"Strike two!"

"Brazilian Twist Serve!" the freshmen said happily.

Karin stood at the ready. Inui now signaled a clean horizontal slice with his hand. Nodding, Karin pitched again. The ball went straight for Taka-san, but the moment he swung, the ball quickly dipped towards the ground and glided on the field. Inui scooped it up.

"And strike three! You're out!"

"The Estonian Twist Serve," Fuji and Kikumaru said in union.

"They won!" Tomo-chan cried.

"Hey, why don't we go see what Ryoma-kun is doing?" Katsuro suggested. Tomo-chan heard this and quickly dragged them into the school once more. In the ping pong section, stood Echizen and this kid with round glasses and an arrogant expression. Echizen was losing his game; as ping pong and tennis are two different worlds.

"They have different grips," Oishi, who was now with them, explained. Tomo-chan raised her arms. "GO RYOMA-SAMA!"

"What's with all this yelling?" Karin's voice called out. They all turned to see her walking over with inui and Taka-san. Fuji smiled. "Don't you have another game coming up?"

"Yeah, but we still have time," Inui responded. Karin nodded and then whipped out her phone. Kikumaru smirked and glomped onto her, trying to read what she was typing. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Texting Kuni," she said simply. "I'm telling him I kicked mega ass in my baseball game."

"What's he saying?" Kikumaru asked. Karin scrolled through the messages. She pointed at one of the green bubbles on the screen. "He says 'Congrats'."

"Even through a text message he barely engages conversation," Inui chuckled. Karin smiled. "Yeah, he's still pretty quiet."

"YAY! RYOMA-SAMA WON!"

"Hey Shusuke, aren't you participating too?" Karin asked. Everyone looked over at the senior as he smiled and nodded. "Yup!"

Everyone remained silent as Fuji slid the curling stone across the room. Fuji grinned happily. "Zero participants. The championship is mine."

"You're retarded," Karin sighed heavily. Fuji only smiled.

**Extended Ending**

"So you won your baseball games?" Tezuka asked as he closed a book he was reading. Karin nodded. "Yeah; I kicked everyone's ass with my pitches!"

The two were in Tezuka's room. Karin had brought him the work he'd missed for the two days he'd been absent thus far and since he still had the splint on, Karin had to write for him (he gave her his own answers though). Karin sat on his bed while he was on his swivel chair.

"Congratulations," Tezuka showed one of his rare, soft smiles. Karin blushed and laughed. "Oh c'mon, it was easy! I was always struck out when I was batting; pitching is where I kicked ass."

Tezuka chuckled. "You specialize in serving,"

"I know right?" Karin grinned. "So when's the doctor gonna take that thing off?" She gestured at the splint on his left arm, supported by a shoulder sling.

"I think sometime this week," Tezuka responded. "It's stopped hurting for a while already."

"I hope you get better," Karin said with a pouty face. "School's so boring without you!"

At the comment, Tezuka smiled softly; to which Karin returned with a big grin.


	54. The Joy of Origami

Today, there was no practice, so Karin was both disappointed and thrilled at this. Disappointed because she didn't have practice and thrilled because she had the day to spend with Tezuka. She was a bit worried about him though, he hadn't answered his phone which meant he was either in another room or had his phone turned off. Despite this, she promised Ayana that she would visit him every day, since she hated to see her son in such an unusual mood.

She stepped through the gate and closed it behind her. She hopped from step stone to step stone until she reached the front porch. She rung the doorbell and gazed around until a voice yelled from inside.

"It's open Karin-chan! Just come in!" It was unmistakably Kazu's voice. Karin smiled and opened the door. Taking off her shoes at the entrance, she laughed. "I can't believe you all already know it's me! Am I this annoying?"

"A little," said a voice. Karin looked at down the hallway to see Tezuka with a small smile spread across his face and more importantly, no splint or sling. Gasping, she pointed at him. "They took it off!"

"Hnn," he nodded as he walked over. Karin pouted however. "No wonder you didn't answer your phone! I thought you died; don't do that you nerd!"

"You look too happy," Tezuka said, raising a curious brow. Karin scoffed and stepped onto the wooden floors. "I talk a lot of crap, you should know that,"

"And you still have the nerve to call me a nerd," Tezuka shook his head with a light smirk. Karin smirked as well and brushed past him. "I don't change, Kuni. Same old, same old."

"So what did the doctor tell you?" Karin asked. She was currently sitting on the _engawa_ that faced Tezuka's backyard. His backyard was quite beautiful; it had a small pond that had three or four Koi fish and some other traditional Japanese objects that his grandfather couldn't help but install like the bamboo fountain called the _shishi-odoshi_.

Tezuka handed her a Snapple and sat down next to her, opening his own Snapple. "He said that my shoulder isn't healed; even though it stopped hurting,"

"Oh…" Karin drank a bit of the iced tea and sighed sadly. She glanced at him. He was staring into oblivion. Karin softly brushed a lock of his hair from his face, making him glance at her.

"Are you ok?" she asked. Tezuka leaned into her and gave her a reassuring kiss. "Hnn,"

Karin felt that it was a sensitive topic and decided to let it go. She glanced up at the clouds in the cerulean blue sky. She then suddenly glanced at Tezuka, and surprisingly caught him staring at her. His eyes widened and his cheeks flushed at being caught, but he sighed. "What's wrong?"

"You got anything to do?" she asked with a smirk. "Your garden's pretty and all but I can't sit here and look at fish swim around all day."

Tezuka rolled his eyes and smiled softly. "I have an origami book that I checked out from the library yesterday; you want to do origami?"

"Oh my god, that's so cool, I've never done that!" Karin beamed. "Bring it!"

Tezuka nodded and stood up, opened his backyard door and went inside his house. After a few minutes, he came back with a book and a stack of plain white paper. The two faced each other as they looked through the book curiously. There were many to choose from, but Karin ultimately loved one.

"You want to do the crane?" Tezuka asked. Karin nodded. "Yeah!"

They began to follow the instructions in the book. Tezuka went off on a good start but Karin was semi-lost.

"Karin, it's the other way," Tezuka showed her by pointing to the book. Karin blinked quizzically and looked down at her hands. "Whoops; my bad," she folded it the correct way before smiling. "Like this?"

"Hnn," Tezuka nodded and resumed to fold the paper. Karin laughed and poked his nose, making him look up at her in a confused look. "Why so serious?" Karin joked. Tezuka, realizing the more-than-stern expression he had just now, he softened his expression and smiled lightly and went back to his crane.

Twenty minutes and three Snapples later, Tezuka and Karin finally finished their cranes.

"Yours looks so perfect!" Karin pouted. Tezuka held in his hand what was the most perfect crane in the history of origami; even better than the one in the book. Tezuka chuckled. "Let's see yours."

Karin held her discombobulated crane up. The wings were where the head was supposed to be and all the angles were folded unevenly. "Mine looks like a duck on crack."

Tezuka let out a deep laugh, making Karin laugh too. "Look at it!" she held it up. "It sucks cow nipple!"

"We followed the instructions, how did it get like this?" Tezuka took it in his hand and observed it, a small smirk lighting his handsome features. Karin pointed her finger at him. "_You _followed the instructions; I was eating shit."

"It's horrible," Tezuka chuckled. Karin's mouth gaped. "And you actually have the audacity to tell me it sucks. You're my boyfriend; you're supposed to support me!"

"I always support you," Tezuka held the so called 'origami crane' up. "But this is just ridiculous."

"You son of a batch of cookies," Karin pretended to be mad at him, but the grin on her face gave it away. He tossed the crane to the side and picked up another piece of paper. "I'm going to help you this time. It's not that difficult you know."

"Yeah, yeah," Karin waved her hand. Tezuka began to help her fold the paper, following the instructions in the book. They finally managed to make the crane, but it wasn't as good as his.

"It's decent, I guess," Karin shrugged. Tezuka gestured at her previous crane. "Better than _that_."

"You think you're funny today huh?" Karin joked. Tezuka chuckled and rested his back against the wooden pillar that supported the _engawa's_ roof. Karin pouted and crawled over to him, sitting between his legs. She kissed him and smiled, holding up a sheet of paper. "Let's make something else!"

Tezuka nodded, wrapped his arms around her waist, and took the paper. He rested his chin on her shoulder and focused on the paper. "Which do you want to make?"

"Let's make a violet," Karin flipped to the page that comes after the crane. "It's my birth flower."

"Right," Tezuka nodded. "Your birthday's in February."

"Yup, February 8," Karin smiled and rested her back against his chest. "And your birthday's…September?"

"October," Tezuka said. "October 7."

"I was close," Karin snapped. Tezuka chuckled and glanced at the book and then back at the paper in his hands, doing the first fold. Karin watched him do so and laughed. "You looked more of a September guy."

Tezuka shook his head. "Does that matter?"

"It's a gut feeling," Karin snuggled onto his chest. Tezuka chuckled and folded the paper again. Soon enough, the violet was finished. Cupping it in his hand, he showed it to Karin. "Finished,"

"It's pretty," Karin took it in her hands, smiling. "You're good at this origami stuff."

"Hnn," Tezuka wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. He held her close; so close, he could smell the plum blossom scent of her hair. Karin relaxed against him and rested her hands on his arms. She looked up at the sky; a clear, cerulean blue and only a few puffy clouds. A light breeze swept through the area, gusting the embraced couple gently.

Suddenly, the backyard door opened, revealing Kazu. Seeing them together in such a way, he smiled and pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "C'mon love birds; lunch is ready."

After picking up the paper, the origami book and the empty Snapple bottles, the two followed Kazu into the kitchen, only to see Satoshi and Jun in there with the Tezuka household.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Karin asked. As Satoshi was about to answer, Kazu spoke first as he sat down at the table. "He came to mooch off of us."

"_You_ invited me over, Kazu," Satoshi glared at him. Kazu chuckled and waved his hand in his old friend's face casually. "It's a joke; loosen up man,"


	55. The Sunrise

It was a bright and sunny afternoon in Seigaku. The tennis team members were all practicing and running drills like usual.

"Ugh, T.G.I.F. man," Karin let out with a sigh. She sat on the bench, her hands behind her head as a support. Nearby stood Echizen while Momo was sitting next to her.

"What does that mean?" Momo blinked. Echizen turned and smirked. "Mada mada dane, Momo-senpai. Thank God it's Friday."

"Oh yeah, I knew that!" Momo quickly stammered. "And you have a point, Karin-senpai!"

"This week's been so boring," Karin adjusted her white hat on her head. "At least in school it's been boring."

"You've been seeing the buchou, right?" Momo asked. Karin nodded. "Yeah, he's fine; he's just not coming to school because he's being lazy."

"Oh," Momo nodded and held out his hand. "Hey, Echizen, hand me that racquet over there," he waited, but when he got no reply, he angrily turned to the person he thought was Echizen standing next to him. "Hey Echi—!" his breath hitched as he changed his tone. "Buchou!"

That being heard, everyone turned to the front of the courts where Tezuka stood, wearing his regular's jersey and usual tennis attire.

"Kuni!" Karin sprung out of the bench and glomped onto him. "I missed you even though I saw you yesterday and the day before that and the day before that!"

Tezuka remained silent and calmly unhooked her arms from his neck. "Shouldn't you be practicing?"

"I was taking a break," Karin insisted. Tezuka rolled his eyes and glanced at Oishi, who was walking over.

"It's been a while Tezuka; are you feeling ok?" Oishi smiled. "I had a feeling you forgot about the tennis team already."

"Oh please, the first thing he did was ask about you guys," Karin snickered. "I could be dying in front of him and the first he'd ask would be: 'How's the team?'."

Tezuka shot a glare at his girlfriend, who merely smiled and waved at him innocently. Oishi chuckled. "It's good to see you're alright,"

Tezuka nodded and turned to the team. "Did I interrupt the practice?"

"So you finally decided to get your happy ass back to school?" Karin teased him as he stood by the benches observing the team. Tezuka sighed. "No, I was called by Ryuzaki-sensei asking me to come in for afternoon practice."

"Yeah, Oishi's not the leader type; he's too nice," Karin laughed. "Not that I care; I like not getting laps for doing something stupid,"

Tezuka sighed heavily. In reality, she'd called him for something else; but he decided to stay and watch the team practice. The mere thought of it made him slightly upset; even though it was for his own good. He'll be leaving so much behind; one of those would be Karin and his friends.

**Sitting on the couch in her office, Tezuka scanned his eyes over the text of the brochure Ryuzaki had given him.**

"**For now, it would be better for you to heal that arm of yours as soon as possible," Ryuzaki said to him, looking out the window at the empty tennis courts. Classes were still in session, it was only 2:20 p.m. **

"**Even though Germany is far away, they have treated a number of famous players," she continued. "They have a very high success rate. I believe it would be best for you to go see them."**

"**I understand,"**

**Surprised at his quick answer, she turned to face him. His expression was as stern as ever, but a determined spark gleamed in his eyes. Ryuzaki swallowed thickly and blinked. "If you go, it'll be a while."**

"**I know," he nodded. Ryuzaki let out a breath she never knew she was holding in. "Have you thought about it? About the team…and Karin?"**

**He remained silent this time, looking down at the shiny wooden floors before meeting his coach's eyes. "They'll understand. I know they will; Karin too."**

**Ryuzaki could only nod.**

On the court, everyone was practicing. Fuji played with Taka-san, Oishi played with Kikumaru, and Karin played with Echizen. Inui was talking to Kaidoh about the types of grips he should use when playing and Momo was busy getting tennis balls caught in the fence with his enormous power.

"Wow, the senpais are so fired up!" Kachiro smiled. Mizuno nodded. "Yeah!"

"It's always like that," Tezuka said as he stood by them. As the freshmen looked up at him, his eyes remained on the court. "You must always play like you always do, under any circumstances; if you play with your own determination, you will be able to play your own tennis."

"Yes, buchou," the freshmen bowed as the stoic captain nodded and walked away.

Outside the court, Inoue and Shiba stood watching the team. Inoue curiously as Tezuka talked to juniors, giving them advice. The reporter was suspicious somewhat; he saw a brochure about a German rehabilitation center that specializes in healing injured tennis players.

"Kya~!" Shiba suddenly squeaked, pulling Inoue out of his trance. He looked over at her who was taking pictures of Tezuka who was giving advice to some juniors. "Karin-chan's so lucky to have such a sweet guy like Tezuka-san! He's helping the lowerclassmen and everything!"

Inoue remained silent, making Shiba look up at him. "What's wrong, senpai?"

"I'm just thinking. I saw this brochure on Ryuzaki-san's desk earlier about a German rehab center that's famous for treating injured tennis players…" he trailed off in thought. Shiba's eyes widened. "Wait…do you think…?"

"Alright, practice ends now!" Oishi said out loud. As the club started to exit the courts, Tezuka sighed and leaned on the fence.

"Hey Kuni!" Karin suddenly appeared before him. Tezuka glanced at her as she smiled and hopped happily on her feet. She's always so full of energy.

"Hnn?" he replied. Karin grinned. "I have a bunch of movies in my bag that we can watch! I got _Disney_ movies and _Megamind_ and I got _Despicable Me_ too!"

"They're in English?" Tezuka asked. Karin rolled her eyes. "You understand English, but I'll see if there's any Japanese subtitles."

"Hey!" a voice called out to them. Karin and Tezuka turned to see Oishi with a big grin on his face. "Are you two planning anything for today?"

"Hmm I guess not," Karin shrugged. "Why?"

"Good, in that case can you meet me at the park where the big fountain tonight?" Oishi asked. "I have a big surprise for the whole team!"

"Cool, ok!" Karin nodded. Oishi smiled as he earned a nod from Tezuka as well. Oishi then started to walk over to the other regulars, asking them the same question.

Now in the city, Karin pushed the button on the soda machine, making the peach flavored Snapple appear at the bottom. She popped it open and drank a bit. "You sure you don't want?"

"No thank you," Tezuka shook his head. Karin shrugged and started to walk side by side. Silently, Tezuka gently cupped his hand with hers and then laced his fingers with hers. Karin smirked as she drank her Snapple. "You're acting kind of weird today,"

"Hnn?" Tezuka raised an eyebrow. Karin shrugged and swung their joined hands back and forth. "Yeah, I don't know; maybe it's just me."

Tezuka remained silent as the two took a short cut through a park. Karin, who was looking at the environment, the birds on the trees and the orangey-purple sky, was surprised when Tezuka suddenly stopped. Karin looked over and smiled when she saw that he was watching two boys, apparently brothers, who were no older than ten years old, playing a makeshift tennis game on the concrete floor of the park. In Karin's eyes, it seemed cute, but in Tezuka's eyes, he saw himself. He saw himself when he was their age, learning how to play tennis and thinking he could when every game and return every ball.

"Ha! Love-15!" one of the boys laughed. The other frowned and stood from the ground. "It's not over!"

Karin smiled and, letting go of Tezuka's hand, she walked over to the two young boys. Tezuka watched her as she approached the boy and smiled at him.

"Bend your knees more; you'll hit the ball faster," Karin told him. The boy blushed and nodded. "Y-Yes, thank you."

"And you need to hit the ball in the middle of the racquet," Karin told the other boy. He nodded happily. "Ok!"

"Karin-chan's being the teacher today, huh?" Inui popped up next to Tezuka. The stern captain nodded as they watched Karin give pointers to the boys.

"Those boys remind you of ourselves when we were freshmen, remember?" Inui chuckled. Tezuka nodded. "Ah…"

"Sadaharu-chan! Hey!" Karin waved at him when she saw him. Inui returned the wave with a smile. She ruffled the boys' hair and then jogged over to them. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to remind Tezuka that Taka-san had invited you two and myself to try some of his new sushi," Inui said. Karin grinned. "Cool!"

On the way to the sushi shop, they ran into Kikumaru and Momo, who were eating at the nearby burger joint. At the sushi shop, they all sat at the counter with Karin, Momo and Kikumaru leaning over it, watching Taka-san as he nervously made the sushi rolls.

"That looks so good!" Karin grinned. Taka-san smiled weakly. "You're all making me nervous,"

"Don't be like that, Taka-san!" Kikumaru said. "You're doing a good job!"

"Ok, done," the timid boy placed the plate with three rolls on the counter. "Try them."

Momo and Karin each took a roll and ate them. Momo smiled, still chewing. "It's good Taka-san!"

Karin nodded. "Yeah it's—!" Her eyes suddenly widened and she covered her mouth with her hands as her eyes were shut tightly. Momo soon followed in her actions, whimpering.

"Karin, what's wrong?" Tezuka's tone expressed concern as he rubbed her back. Karin started to tear up. "It's so spicy!"

"Too much wasabi!" Momo cried too. Taka-san blinked and took the remaining sushi roll on the plate. "Wasabi?" once he ate it, he was soon imitating the actions of the wasabi victims.

"Ugh, I'm still feeling that wasabi," Karin stuck out her tongue, fanning it with her hand. It was already nighttime. The lights in the park that the Seigaku regulars stood in started to flicker on as they all stood there, waiting for Oishi who had told them all to be there.

"So does anyone knows why we're here?" Karin asked, resting her head on Tezuka's right shoulder. Inui shrugged. "He didn't say what it was for."

Straightening out her hooded jacket (which belonged to Tezuka), Karin sighed and rolled her eyes. "So we're all here and no one knows why?"

"Mada mada dane…" Echizen sighed.

"Hey!" Oishi was seen running over. The regulars all stood as the vice-captain approached them out of breathe from running. "Sorry for being late!"

"So what is it you want to talk about?" Fuji asked with his signature closed-eye smile. Oishi glanced at all of them before smiling widely. "I wanted all of you to come mountain climbing with me!"

"Huh?" everyone cried in shock. "Right now?"

Oishi nodded excitably. "Yeah! So we can watch the sunrise at the top of the mountain together!" Oishi's smile faded when he saw their hesitant expressions. He blinked. "Wh-What's wrong?"

"Mountain climbing now?" Echizen rolled his eyes. "I thought it was something important…"

"None of you want to go?" Oishi asked sadly. Everyone had reluctant expressions.

"Hey, that's pretty cool," Karin shrugged. "I've never gone mountain climbing before."

"Yeah, me neither," Fuji stepped up. "I've never seen a sunrise either."

Oishi's eyes immediately started to sparkle. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Karin smiled and tugged at Tezuka's lavender shirt. "And Kuni's coming too; you like mountains right?"

"Hnn," Tezuka shrugged. Then, Inui popped up and said he wanted to go, and then Kikumaru, and then Taka-san. Soon enough, everyone agreed to join Oishi to go mountain climbing.

They all walked through the streets and boarded the train. The train was empty, seeing the late hour. Karin laughed. "Dude, my grandpa's gonna think I'm in a hotel room with Kuni…"

"So?" Oishi with his ever so innocent mind asked. Tezuka immediately blushed. Karin laughed. "You don't know what that means?" Karin gestured with her hands, pointing at the blushing Tezuka and then at herself repeatedly. Everyone burst into laughter when Oishi finally caught on a blushed. "Oh!"

"Let's play poker!" Momo shuffled a deck of cards in his hands. Tezuka sat at his chair, looking out the window absentmindedly. Karin suddenly kissed his cheek, making him look over. "Let's play poker!"

"Hmm…this is tough…" Kikumaru muttered, looking down at his cards. He, Fuji, Karin, Tezuka and Momo were the ones playing. Everyone else was watching, waiting for their turn.

"Eh, I only got one pair," Kikumaru tossed his cards on the small table. Karin did so too. "Me too,"

"I got two pairs!" Momo beamed happily, placing down his cards. However, Fuji chuckled and showed his cards. "Full house!"

"Damn it Shusuke!" Karin pouted and nudged Tezuka. "What do you got?"

"Royal flush," he showed his cards, making everyone gasp. Karin smiled. "Sometimes I wonder if he's magical!"

After walking through the brush, the team finally arrived at the top of the mountain. The view overlooked all of Tokyo, but the night sky started to form clouds.

"Oishi, it's pretty cloudy," Kikumaru said. Oishi smiled, ever-so-optimistic. "Don't worry!"

He was right with not worrying. As the minutes passed, dawn started to awaken and the clouds subsided, making the bright sun make its way over the buildings of Tokyo. As everyone's eyes sparkled at the sun, Tezuka and Karin slowly laced their fingers together, remembering the day of their first kiss; the day that the sun rose from the mountaintops. Karin decided to sneak a glance at her boyfriend, and he did the same. They both smiled at each other. Without second thought, the two leaned into each other and shared a soft kiss.

"Finally!" Momo's voice broke them apart. The couple saw that the entire team was watching their every move. Momo continued. "You were just staring at each other!"

"It's called '_The Moment_', Momo-chan," Fuji said and held up his camera. "And I got them in a picture too,"

"You guys are dipshits," Karin laughed. Tezuka's glasses were flashing dangerously, but remained silent.

Fuji snapped various pictures: one of Momo and a bored Echizen, one of Oishi and Kikumaru smiling happily, another of Kaidoh sitting on a rock and another of Inui writing in his notebook. Karin took charge of the camera at some point and snapped a few pictures of Fuji and Taka-san and of Tezuka, but he wasn't paying attention so Karin even thinks he isn't aware of that picture.

"Hurry up, Momo!" Kikumaru urged. The whole group stood together, getting ready to take the picture. Karin smiled. "C'mon Kuni! Hurry up!"

"Ok, ready?" Fuji checked the camera one more time before setting the three second timer. He dashed towards the team and the camera snapped a perfect picture. They were all smiling, Oishi and Taka-san stood at the right side of the picture calmly smiling, Inui stood behind them and was caught with his habit of pushing up his glasses, Kikumaru was at the center with his arm around Echizen, Momo sat on the floor with a big, funny smile on his face. Next to them was Fuji, who resting his hands on his knees and smiling softly like usual and Kaidoh was behind him, casually with his hands in his pockets. And finally, behind Kikumaru, Momo and Echizen stood Karin and Tezuka. Karin was glomped onto him, with her arms wrapped around his neck. He apparently forgot about the picture at the moment, because he had let out a very soft, small smile while he hugged Karin.

**Extended Ending**

After getting to Tezuka's house, even though it was early (around 7 in the morning), they decided to watch one of the movies that Karin was talking about the other day. Of course, when they got home, they were under an interrogation (with the lamp and everything) with Kazu, but with the picture that Fuji had given a copy of to every member of the team, they managed to convince him they weren't up to anything, not that he suspected anything. He admitted with a laugh that he loves to mess with them both a scare them.

While watching _Despicable Me_, Karin had fallen asleep in Tezuka's arms. He calmly played with her silky, brown hair as he watched her sleeping face.

"Kunimitsu," Ayana stood at the entrance of the living room. Tezuka looked at his mother and automatically saddened. "Have you told her?"

"No…" Tezuka played with her hair. Ayana sighed sadly. "Sweetie, it's going to get harder for you if you don't tell her soon."

"I will, okaa-san, just…not now," Tezuka whispered.


	56. French is the New Italian

"How long have I been asleep…?" Karin yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"About two hours," Tezuka responded. Karin yawned again. "So _Despicable Me_ ended already?"

"A while ago," Tezuka nodded. Karin smiled. "Did you see the part with the unicorn that I told you about?" she grinned widely and said in her native language, "_IT'S SO FLUFFY!_"

"Agnes is a lot like you," Tezuka smirked. Karin laughed. "And you look like Vector!"

Tezuka frowned and didn't respond, making Karin laugh and poke his cheek. "You're way cuter, don't worry," Karin then leaned over to the coffee table and checked the time on her phone. "Wow, its noon, it's early as hell."

"Hnn," Tezuka nodded. They sat there in silence until Kazu walked into the living room.

"What's up, Kazu?" Karin grinned. Kazu smiled. "Nothing, just wanted to tell you guys I'm going over to Satoshi's place to play Shogi," he gestured to the coffee table where a few movies were stacked. "I guess with all those movies you guys don't want to go over to Satoshi's so I'll leave you here."

"Where's Ayana-san and Kuniharu-san?" Karin raised an eyebrow. The old man sighed and shrugged. "They went out on some date-anniversary thing," Kazu said. "They'll be back tonight."

"Cute!" Karin smiled. Kazu nodded. "Ok, don't blow up the house, don't do crazy shit and don't make babies while I'm gone," Kazu casually swung his jacket over his shoulder and made his way to the front door. At his statement, Tezuka blushed furiously, in contrast to his girlfriend who just laughed.

As soon as the front door closed and Kazu's car was heard to leave the driveway, the two sat in silence in the living room. They just looked at each other, finding no real conversation to engage in.

"So um…" Karin rolled her eyes in thought. "What now?"

Tezuka shrugged. Karin sighed and stood up from the couch. "I'm hungry."

Tezuka blinked. "What do you want to eat?"

"Hmm…" Karin swiftly walked into the kitchen, sliding occasionally on her neon green socks. Tezuka calmly followed her. The blue-eyed girl looked through the cupboards, the fridge; pleased to find Snapple (but wanted food, not drinks) and through any other storage compartments in the kitchen.

As she was looking, Tezuka sat on the dinner table, watching her attentively as she continued her expedition for food. His glasses flashed when he remembered his mother's words; about telling her that he was leaving. It broke his heart to leave her and his friends and family; but mostly her. She was everything to him. He couldn't imagine himself without her; Karin was the only person in the world that has ever made him feel such pleasant emotions. Never in his life had he imagined himself having a girlfriend and feeling so full in the process; since tennis was everything he thought about. Being with Karin, he's realized there's a balance to everything. He's realized only recently that she's changed him too; changed him in a way that he's happy with; because normally, he hates changes.

"I feel like eating pizza…" Karin's voice snapped him out of his inner thoughts. Tezuka stood and walked over to the counter, proceeding to open a drawer. Karin watched him pull out a phone book and flip through it.

"Here's the number for a pizza place not far from here," Tezuka showed it to her, pointing at the number. Karin took the book in her hands and furrowed her eyebrows as she stared at the book. Tezuka blinked and took her chin in his hand and brought her up to meet his glance.

"Is something wrong?"

"No," Karin smirked and hopped up, planting a peck on his lips. She giggled at his surprised face: eyes wide and blinking. "I was just thinking."

"Of…?" he trailed off for her to finish; which she did. Grinning, she closed the phone book. "Let's make our own pizza!"

"You want to make a pizza…?" Tezuka repeated, the words sounding foreign on his tongue. Karin nodded excitably. "Yeah! It'll be a lot more fun!"

"But we don't know how to make a pizza," he objected. Karin smirked and pulled out her iPhone. "It's called a recipe app,"

"But we don't have the ingredients,"

"It's called your allowance and the supermarket a few blocks away,"

Tezuka smirked. "Why _my_ allowance?"

"Fine, we'll split it," Karin smiled. "Please?"

Tezuka shook his head and smiled softly. "I'm just joking, let's go."

Now on the train, Karin took this time to download the recipe app. As it did, she snuggled onto her boyfriend, who in return casually wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Sighing, she appreciated the warmth that radiated from him. She also smiled when her nostrils flared at the scent of his cologne. He never used too much, just the right amount to make her melt. It was very close to the smell of _Reaction _by Kenneth Cole.

"Look, it downloaded!" Karin tapped on the app, making it appear on the screen. Karin's eyes skimmed the list quickly, until she found the recipe for pizza. Tezuka was amazed by how fast she could read and distinguish the recipe. He wasn't bad at English, but not an expert; by the time he could make out 'pizza', Karin would've found it six times.

"Ok, are we going to make the pizza dough and the sauce from scratch?" Karin asked, "Because it includes separate recipes for that."

"Sure," Tezuka responded. Karin nodded and went to the ingredients list. "Ok, this is everything we'll need…"

Now at the supermarket, Karin and Tezuka went up and down the aisles. Everything the recipe called for, the placed in the cart.

"Oh my god, Kuni, look!" Karin pointed at a photo booth by the registers. "Let's take pictures!"

Tezuka could do nothing but park the cart outside the booth and step inside with Karin. After placing the bill into the machine, the screen told them it would take six pictures, thus, they did six different poses: smiling, surprised, looking away from the camera, Karin kissing Tezuka on the cheek, vice-versa, and lastly, bear-hugging.

"We came out so cute!" Karin cried excitably, holding the strip of six photos as Tezuka opened the door to his house. Chuckling, Tezuka walked into the house and sat the groceries on the wooden floors as he removed his shoes.

"Ok, first things first, let's make the dough," Karin said. They now stood in the kitchen. The ingredients they needed for the dough were on the counter where they stood and the remaining ones were on the dinner table.

Using the recipe's instructions, they began to mix the ingredients together.

"Karin, I need more flour," Tezuka said as he stirred the contents in the bowl. Karin smirked devilishly and nodded. She dug her hand into the flour bag and got a handful.

"Here you go," she said. When he turned to look at her, she placed her now open hand near her lips and let out a swift and sharp blow, making the white powder fly out of her hand and cover Tezuka's face completely. Karin laughed hysterically as Tezuka let out a sharp cough and wiped the flour from his cheeks and mouth with his sleeve. He took his glasses and as he glanced at the white powder on the outer part of the lenses, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"You want more flour?" Karin teased. Tezuka smirked and grabbed a handful himself and let it go in her face. Karin stared at him in shock as he smiled at her almost innocently.

"Oh not the hair!" Karin snapped. Tezuka gave her a mischievous look from the corner of his eye and sprinkled another handful of flour in the bowl and continued to stir. Soon enough, the dough was finished and was left aside for the yeast to make it rise. Now, they started on making the sauce. They bought everything the recipe called for; which was a lot of vegetables like onions, garlic and many others.

"Having trouble?" Tezuka asked, resting his chin on her shoulder, overlooking Karin as she carefully cut the vegetables. Karin giggled. "A little; I'm not good at this cooking stuff."

"Let's see…" he trailed off to wrap his arms around her body and gently took her hands in his. Luckily, they were both left-handed, so Tezuka placed his dominant hand over her hand which held the knife and helped her cut the vegetable.

"You've done this before?" Karin asked, a bit shocked at his swiftness. Tezuka shrugged. "I go camping a lot with my grandpa, so I cut things like this plenty of times to make dinner in the woods."

"Cool," Karin smiled. Once they finished with that, they placed all the cut-ups and mixed it in a bowl with a can of tomato paste and a bit of sprinkled parmesan cheese. After stirring, they left it sitting on the counter so the flavors blended. Now, they took the dough once again and the real fun began.

Together, they knead the dough to make it medium-sized and thick. Tezuka smiled and gently pushed the dough to Karin. "Go ahead; I know you're dying to do it."

"Yay!" Karin took the dough in her hands and spun it carefully, then tossed it in the air and luckily caught it. Grinning, she handed it to him and he repeated the same gesture. He however, almost dropped it, but Karin managed to catch it and meet him halfway.

As Tezuka placed the dough on the oil-sprayed pan, Karin mixed the sauce one last time. She daringly took a spoonful of the sauce and sipped a bit of it. She was mesmerized by its rich taste.

"Try it," using the same spoon, she took another spoonful and placed it in front of Tezuka. He sipped a bit and nodded. "It's good; we might be good chefs after all."

"Damn right," Karin slowly spread out the sauce over the dough, spreading it so every part of the dough was covered by the rich, red substance. After that, they placed an abundance (almost an exaggeration) of shredded cheese over the sauce and then placed slices of pepperoni, diced ham and a bit of salami over it. Lastly, they sprinkled powdered black pepper as the final touch.

As Karin placed the pizza in the preheated oven and took off the mittens, she smiled when she saw Tezuka open a cupboard and take out two wine glasses that most likely belonged to his parents. He placed them on the counter, then went to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of peach-flavored Snapple.

He walked over, popped open the glass bottle and poured an equal amount into each glass. After clanking their glasses together, they drank a portion of the tea before leaning into each other and sharing a soft kiss.

"I love you," Karin smiled as they broke their kiss. "You taste like flour."

"I love you too," Tezuka smirked. "And you taste like tomato sauce."

Giggling, Karin turned around and leaned on the counter, facing the kitchen. Tezuka did the same and shared her view on the kitchen.

"Look at this clusterfuck we've made here," Karin raised her eyebrows as she drank the iced tea. Tezuka sighed heavily. "Yeah…" he drank some of his tea too. "They're going to kill us." The kitchen was a mess; there was flour on the floors mixed in with the tomato sauce. There were clumps of shredded cheese and parmesan on the dinner table alongside the spare vegetables they didn't use. Long story short; the Tezuka household's kitchen had seen better days; _way_ better.

"Well, we had fun; that was the important part right?" Karin smiled and glanced up at him. He glanced at her as well and smiled. He raised his glass and Karin followed his gesture, clanking their glasses once again.

"_Bon appétit_," Karin said with a grin. Tezuka raised a curious brow. "That's French,"

Karin paused in shock but then composed herself, flashing a smile. "French is the new Italian."

They managed to pick up the vegetables and the cheese off the floors and table before the oven let out a 'bing' sound, signaling that the pizza was ready. Tezuka took out the pizza and placed it on the dinner table. He and Karin stood before it, staring at it with outmost attention.

"Looks decent," Karin said simply. Tezuka nodded, "Hnn." He took a knife and cut the hot pizza into eight slices. Once he placed the knife down, he and Karin shared a glance. They each took a slice but they were both reluctant to eating it.

"Look at the bright side," Karin said with a smile. "If the pizza's poisonous; we'll die together like Romeo and Juliet!"

"That makes me even more scared to eat this," Tezuka said with a small smirk. Karin laughed and took the first bite. The melted cheese stretched from the slice to the piece in her mouth but managed to break it off with her fingers. Tezuka watched the expression on her face as it morphed into one of those dream-struck faces.

"This pizza's an orgasm," Karin said as she ate another bite. Tezuka let out a deep laugh, making Karin laugh too. "I'm cereal! Try it!"

He did so, and was also taken aback by the rich taste of the pizza they'd made. Smiling, he leaned into Karin and gave her a soft kiss. "_Bon appétit_,"

"_Bon appétit_," she replied.

They managed to eat half of the pizza and drink two Snapples before they heard the front door open and close followed by the voices of Kazu, Ayana and Kuniharu.

"_We're screwed_," Karin muttered in English. Tezuka nodded. "Hnn…"

"So Satoshi beat you five times in a row?" Kuniharu voice said from the hallway. A scoff was heard, followed by Kazu's voice. "Yeah, he thinks he's all that in a bag of chips. Arrogant bastard."

"Did I leave something cooking in the oven?" Ayana's voice suddenly asked. Tezuka and Karin jumped as the hairs on the back of their necks rose in fear.

The next thing they knew, the Tezuka family walked into the kitchen, faces of awe and shock were seen. Kazu's eyes were wide as saucers. "What the hell happened in here? Did a giant baby throw up?"

"We made a pizza!" Karin held out the slice in her hand. Tezuka sighed and face-palmed. They weren't in the best condition either. Their clothes were all ruined and dirty from the various powders they had to use and their faces and hair betrayed their use of flour.

"Are we in trouble?" Karin asked meekly. Ayana smiled softly. "No but…are you guys going to clean this up?"

"Yeah, we just wanted to finish the pizza," Karin said. "Want some? It's super good!"

After the pizza was eaten, the kitchen was cleaned, everything was put away and all the dishes were washed; Tezuka and Karin both took well-deserved showers. Karin luckily had a spare change of clothing in her tennis bag.

"I still haven't gotten all the flour out of my hair," Tezuka sat down next to her on his bed as he ran his fingers through his damp hair. Karin scoffed. "Oh please; I'm the girl; I should be worrying about that."

The two sat in silence in his bedroom. The night had crept upon the day only a few minutes ago. Tezuka once again thought about telling Karin about leaving to Germany. He really didn't want to tell her now though; it would really cancel out the elated mood she was currently in. Looking down at the carpeted floors of his bedroom, he figured he could at least give her the gift.

Karin watched as he suddenly stood from the bed and walked over to one of his drawers. Upon opening it, he pulled out what seemed to be a long, black and rectangular box. He closed the drawer and sat back down on the bed next to her.

"What's that?" Karin asked, her curiosity taking the best of her. Tezuka looked into her eyes. "It's for you." He showed her the box and opened it for her. Her eyes widened and her lips parted when her gaze fell upon a beautiful pendant necklace. The chain was simple and silver, but the pendant was a beautiful bright purple violet and in the middle of the flower, was a vivid and shiny lavender precious jewel.

"Is that—?" Karin was too shocked to speak. Tezuka nodded. "It's an amethyst; and yes, it's real."

"Kuni, that must've cost you a lot of money!" Karin cried. "You didn't have too!"

"But I wanted too," he said simply, flashing a soft, rare smile. In reality, with the money he used to buy the necklace, he was going to buy a new, professional and _very_ expensive racquet that he's had his eye on for almost a year. He's been saving up for it but he sacrificed it for Karin; buying her a beautiful necklace that she can wear and remember him by. He was smart about it too; he bought her a pendant that reflected her birthday: the violet, her birth flower; and the amethyst, her birth stone. He was happy with his decision; even though he really wanted that racquet but his old one was still new; he could just take it to a stringer and have it fixed. Karin was more valuable to him than all the racquets in the world.

"It's beautiful," Karin smiled softly, a blush coloring her cheeks. "Thank you."

Tezuka smiled and took the necklace from the box. He encircled his hands around her neck and clasped it. His dominant hand trailed the chain until her reached the pendant. He smiled and kissed her tenderly. "You're beautiful," he whispered. Karin smiled and hugged him.

"Thank you."


	57. Idiots Stick Together

It was a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon. The sun was set ablaze high in the sky and its rays crept over the Tezuka household, finding its way into Tezuka's bedroom window. The sunlight shone through, making said teenager wince as the rays bounced into his eyesight. He stood, covering his eyes with his hand and covered the window with the curtains. Letting out a sigh, he walked back to his bed and continued to pack his tennis bag.

When he finished, he swung the Seigaki tennis bag over his shoulder and walked out of his room and down the stairs. The house was empty, except for his grandfather who was watching an old Japanese movie in the living room, but fell asleep in the process. His father was called into work that morning, saying that they needed him and his mother was shopping at the mall.

He slipped on his sneakers and went out the door and closed it gently. Tezuka then started to walk down the sidewalks of his neighborhood and towards the bus stop. He took the bus when it arrived and it dropped him off two blocks away from his destination. He walked the two blocks and finally arrived at the Mizushima house. He walked into the front yard, where he was greeted by none other than Ramesses. The Shepherd wagged his tail excitably and Tezuka patted his head lovingly. He walked up to the door and rang the bell. Soon enough, Mizushima Jun answer the door.

"Oh hello there, Kunimitsu-kun," she greeted with a smile. Tezuka nodded. "Good afternoon,"

"Come in," she stepped aside, letting Tezuka and Ramesses in. The Shepherd went right in, going straight into the kitchen.

"Looking for Karin?" Jun asked with a smile. Tezuka held the urge to blush, but he nodded. "Yes."

"Karin!" Jun called out for her, looking up at the stairs. "Kunimitsu-kun's here!"

There was a thump from upstairs and then the sound of a door opening and soon enough, Karin appeared at the top of the stairs; her hair a mess, drowsy eyes and clad in her pajamas. She blinked harshly, as if trying to focus her vision before yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"What's your happy ass doing around here so early?" Karin said through another yawn. Tezuka's eyebrows rose in slight confusion. "It's two in the afternoon,"

"I was sleeping you nerd…" Karin stretched her arms in the air before letting out a sigh. "Come up if you want," she walked back into the hallway and presumably back into her room. Tezuka nodded and after placing his tennis bag against the wall and removing his sneakers, he went up the stairs and opened the door to Karin's room, letting himself in. When he did walk in, he saw Karin putting something away in one of her drawers.

"What are you doing?" Tezuka asked. Karin jumped in surprise, probably not expecting him to be in the room so quickly. She shut the drawer swiftly and shrugged, yawning widely. "Putting away a bra I had on the bed; I don't want you seeing that."

He blushed lightly. He suddenly felt a bundle of fuzzy fur at his heel and looked up to see none other than Jewel looking up at him with her vivid green eyes. He took her in his arms and walked over to the bed where Karin was, trying to go back to sleep after being woken up.

"I need to ask you a favor," Tezuka started, sitting at the edge of the bed. He put Jewel down the mattress where she cuddled up next to a stray pillow near him. Karin, her face obscured by the pillows, let out a grunt. "Hmm…?"

"Look at me," Tezuka smirked, poking her ribcage, making her jump. Karin giggled. "Stop!"

"Then look at me," Tezuka kept poking her ribcage, making her squirm as he tickled her. Karin laughed and sat up. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed, trying to regain her breathe from her laughter. "What is it, Kuni?"

"I want you to help me get better at playing with my right hand," Tezuka said sternly as he held his left shoulder with his opposite hand. "You're the only other person, besides Echizen, that I know that can play with both hands."

"So you want me to help you play better with your right?" Karin asked. "But didn't you kick everyone's ass in your freshman year with your right?"

"But that was two years ago; I haven't used my right since then," Tezuka petted Jewel as the cat stretched and yawned. "If I practice enough today, I think it'll come back to me; don't you think?"

"I guess," Karin shrugged. "Ok, I'll help you; wait for me downstairs so I can get dressed."

Tezuka did just that. He waited in the living room for her, carrying Jewel in his arms. The female cat purred as he petted her head.

"Ok, ready!" Karin popped up in the hallway with a big grin wearing a neon green t-shirt with silver stars on the hem of it, Bermuda shorts and white and blue socks with penguins on them.

Tezuka nodded and stood up from the couch and started to make his way towards the front door when Karin placed an arm in front of him and smirked. "And where are you going?"

"To get my bag…?" Tezuka blinked. Karin shook her head and walked to the TV, where she turned it on and turned on the Wii hooked up next to it. She pulled out the Wii remote and tossed it to him. As he studied it, Karin smiled. "First thing you gotta do: learn to play tennis on the Wii."

In the game, Tezuka would play on Karin's account which was leveled pro. He had trouble with his right at first, but then got the flow of the game and won.

"There," Tezuka said as the character on the TV screen held up the Grand Slam trophy. Karin, who was on the couch eating a bag of _Doritos_, nodded. "Ok, you got that down. Now, next step…"

Sitting on a bench, Karin watched Tezuka hit every ball the automatic tennis ball shooter threw at him. When the machine gave off a beep, meaning it ran out of money, Karin stood and took Tezuka's racquet in her hand.

"Kuni, you have to brush up the ball more so it can dip; otherwise it'll be out," Karin told him. Tezuka nodded. "You're right,"

"Hell yeah I am," she smiled and handed him his racquet. "But you're getting a lot better."

Tezuka merely nodded, looking down at his racquet absentmindedly. Karin's eyebrows ceased a bit and she hugged him, wrapping her arms around his torso. She felt he was surprised by her sudden action, but wasted no time and returned the hug. Karin nuzzled her cheek into his chest.

"How come you want to get better with your right?" she asked.

"Because my left is useless at the moment," he said sadly, stroking her hair with his free hand. "Besides, I want to play a match with Echizen before I—" he caught himself sharply before he could finish. He gulped when he saw Karin's big blue eyes on his. "Before you what?"

"N-Nothing," he stammered, pulling away from her. Karin however, gripped his polo, keeping him from going too far. "Before you _what_, Kuni?"

His eyebrows furrowed as he stared into Karin's eyes. They looked at each other for what seemed to be ages until he closed his eyes tightly. "I'm sorry Karin,"

"Sorry about what?" Karin asked anxiously.

"I really didn't want you to find out like this but I just couldn't find the right way to tell you," he said, as though he was guilty of all crimes of the world.

"God damn it, _what_!" she cried, gritting her teeth.

"Calm down, Karin," Tezuka said, his voice deeper than usual. "This is hard enough for me already."

Her shoulders relaxed and she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "What is it? Is it bad?"

"Not really," Tezuka whispered. "But I think we should go somewhere more private for this."

Now, in the park where Tezuka had bought Karin her first Snapple, Tezuka sat on the soft grass under a tree next to Karin, who was itching to know what he was going to tell her. A soft breeze swept through them, rustling the leaves and grass. After a moment of silence, Tezuka sighed and glanced over at Karin, her blue eyes swimming with curiosity. He took her hands in his and squeezed them slightly.

"In order to get my arm healed, Ryuzaki-sensei offered that I go to a rehabilitation center famous for treating injured tennis players," he started. "It's a really professional center that has a high success rate. I signed up for it and I was accepted."

"Ok, cool," Karin shrugged. Tezuka sighed. "It's in Germany."

Surprise was clear on the American girl's face; eyes wide and lips in a thin line. She blinked once. "You're kidding."

"I'm not," Tezuka shook his head. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but I really couldn't find the right words; I really don't want to leave you or the team or my family; but it's the only opportunity I'll ever get to heal my arm and play tennis and maybe even go pro."

Karin's expression was blank, her eyes trailed from his face, to the grass and then to their joined hands. Apparently, she stared at their hands for quite a while, because he freed his left hand and brought her chin up to meet his gaze. His honey-brown eyes, always so stern and determined, were now solemn.

"Are you mad?" Tezuka asked softly. Karin shook her head. "Of course not," she forced a weak smile. "It's great that you're going to get your arm healed, and I'm happy for you."

"But I'll be in Germany for a long time; for months," Tezuka said, almost a whisper. Karin sighed, again, keeping her smile up. "Figures; but it's great that you're going to get your arm healed. It'll be a while, I know, but at least you're going to be able to play tennis and kick everyone's ass like you always have."

Tezuka let out a small, soft smile at her statement, showing off the dimples that Karin adores. The girl smiled too, flashing like a thousand suns.

"So you're ok with this?" Tezuka asked, his smile not ceasing and eyes shining with affection. Karin nodded. "Yeah; I'll always support you. You're my idiot and I'm your idiot. Idiots stick together."

Tezuka chuckled, making Karin laugh. "It's true!"

"I'm glad you're taking this well," Tezuka said softly. "It makes me happy that you're not upset by this."

"I am a little," Karin said, but she shrugged. "But if you're happy, I'm happy. If you really wanna go to Germany and get the treatment you need, then go for it. I'm ok with that."

"Thank you, Karin," Tezuka smiled once more and leaned into her. She did so as well and their lips met in a soft, tender kiss. Tezuka deepened the kiss, bringing her closer to him, leaving Karin ultimately breathless. She ran her fingers through his silky hair and kissed him with equal amount of passion.

They parted their kiss slowly and rested their foreheads against each other's as another breeze swept through them. Karin giggled. "Just one thing,"

"Hnn?"

"Please don't go Nazi on my ass when you get back," Karin said with a grin.

Tezuka rolled his eyes and chuckled. "I won't."


	58. The Last Challenge

"You're going to tell them?" Karin looked into his honey-brown eyes. Tezuka nodded, closing his eyes. "Yes, I need too. I'm leaving on—"

"Don't remind me!" Karin pouted. Tezuka sighed and stepped closer to her and laced their fingers together. She rested her cheek on his chest and took a deep breath and let it out before speaking. "When are they coming?"

"They should be here any minute," he responded. "I told Oishi to call them."

"Mmm," she mumbled. They stood there for a few seconds before they heard the team's joyful voices outside the locker room. They quickly parted from one another and walked out to see them talking about school work and practice and such. Echizen however, was just bouncing a ball on the edge of his racquet.

"Ah, buchou," Kikumaru smiled. "Whatcha call us for?"

Karin rolled her eyes and nudged him in the ribcage. "Tell 'em,"

Tezuka cleared his throat before piercing his glance through his tennis team.

It hurt Karin to hear the explanation again, and even more so when the expression of shock morphed on her teammates' faces. Like she'd told him, she had no problem with him going to Germany for rehabilitation but like anyone, she knew she would miss him; especially since they were in such a close and intimate relationship. She loved him; and the fact that he was going away and she wouldn't be able to hug him or kiss him or even tease him sent a bullet through her heart.

The ball on Echizen's racquet rolled off and softly bounced on the ground. Oishi opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water before finding the ability to speak. "S-So you have to go…to G-Germany?"

"Hnn," Tezuka nodded; his expression ever so serious. Oishi blinked and glanced at Karin. "Did you know this, Karin-chan?"

"He told me yesterday," she responded and then answered the other part of his question that he was about to ask. "And no, I have no problem that he's going. It's his decision."

"She's right," Taka-san nodded. "It's Tezuka's decision and we should respect that."

The practice that day was somewhat tense. Everyone practiced like usual, but there wasn't that spark that was usually lit in their eyes. They played with little effort, knowing that their captain was leaving for months had a huge impact on them, and no one could blame them for it. It was only natural.

The next day after school, Karin walked down the hallways, yawning to the point where her jaw could possibly snap. She wasn't with Tezuka, unfortunately, since he normally heads out of class much earlier than she does to organize club activities and do whatever it is tennis captains do.

After she changed into her tennis clothes, she walked out to the courts and began her normal routine.

"Hey, have you seen Tezuka?" Oishi walked over to Karin, who was sitting on the court stretching her legs. She looked up at the vice-captain and shrugged. "Haven't seen him since he left class,"

Oishi nodded and walked over to some freshmen to help them with their drills. Karin rolled her eyes and smiled. Oishi was always so worried of others.

Suddenly, Tezuka walked into the courts wearing his signature tennis outfit, but held his racquet in his hand. Oishi saw him and his eyes widened. "Tezuka, you better not force yourself."

"I just want to play on these courts one last time before I leave," he responded monotonously. "You may continue your practice."

When everyone answered him back with a 'yes', he calmly walked into the courts. He passed by Echizen and an uncomfortable tension rose between them, but later dissolved when Tezuka walked in front of his girlfriend, who was on the ground.

"Sup Kuni," she smiled up at him holding her hat in place to prevent it from falling backwards.

She swore she saw a small smile form on his lips, but the sun's rays against her eyes made her struggle with her vision.

"Let's play a light rally," he held out his hand. She smiled and took it. He easily brought her up to her feet. She reached for her racquet, which was upright against the fence, but Tezuka beat her to it and handed it to her gently. She smiled at his action and he returned it as well but in a tinier version.

Tezuka bounced the ball on the court and lightly hit it. Karin smiled and softly hit it back.

"You actually got it in the court this time Kuni!" she teased. Tezuka rolled his eyes and returned the ball again. Everyone that was practicing stopped what they were doing and watched as the two rallied, but stood in shock because Tezuka was playing with his right hand.

"You don't suck so much anymore," Karin teased him again. Tezuka ran to the net and hit a fast one and Karin made no effort to get it, since it landed on the opposite side of where she stood.

The sun was setting and the team stood in front of both captain and vice-captain.

Oishi cleared his throat. "Since Tezuka is leaving to get his arm healed—"

"Stop repeating it!" Karin covered her ears with her hands. Tezuka held back a smile as Oishi continued. "I'll be substitute captain until he returns."

"Everyone, keep your eye on the Nationals and I'm all counting on you to work hard," Tezuka told them sternly, causing them to nod in respect. "I wish you all luck." Tezuka's eyes trailed past the regulars and to a certain freshman in the crowd. "Echizen,"

"Yes, buchou?"

"Get on the court," he said sternly. Karin rolled her eyes. "Oh my god, _really_?"

"Sure, buchou," Echizen nodded with a smirk.

"Stop complaining Karin," Tezuka raised an eyebrow. Karin pouted. "I wanted to go home and watch a movie!"

"Here," Tezuka handed her a dollar. Karin frowned. "You're lucky I love Snapple so much," and with that she walked off.


	59. You'll Probably Need a Chair

As she walked up to the soda machine, Karin could hear the cheers coming from the tennis courts. She smirked. Either Tezuka was winning or Echizen was winning; Karin doesn't know for sure though, since their equally good.

Humming a made-up tune, she inserted the dollar and scanned her eyes over the buttons. Her eyes fell upon a new mango flavor, making her smile.

"Hell yeah," she grinned and pressed the button. As she waited for her drink to arrive on the bottom she smiled at the continuous cheers at the courts. The Snapple finally arrived at the bottom and popping it open, she read the cap:

_In Germany, the 'shh' sound means hurry up._

"I have to show that to Kuni," Karin smiled. With that, she made her way back to the tennis courts. By the time her Snapple was half empty, she'd reached the courts.

"What's going on?" Karin walked over to the regulars. "What's the score?"

"The score's two to one, Echizen leading," Inui responded. Karin gasped. "You're kidding!"

"No, but look over," he said. Karin raised an eyebrow and looked at the court, only to see Echizen running back and forth on the court and Tezuka standing at the center, not moving from the spot. Karin smirked.

"Looks like he perfected it," Karin smiled. Fuji opened his eyes. "A perfect right-handed Tezuka Zone."

Eventually, Echizen lost the game but of course, he looked Tezuka in the eyes and smirked. "Mada mada dane,"

Tezuka's expression remained stern and he walked over to the baseline once more. Tezuka returned Echizen's Twist Serve with a return ace. Echizen served his famous Twist Serve once more, but this time, somehow, Tezuka cut the shot. Clenching his teeth, the freshman ran over and returned the ball to a corner. The Tezuka Zone however, didn't allow it to go out and withdrew from its original course and went straight towards Tezuka. He returned the ball, and Echizen failed to catch up to it.

"Love-40!" Oishi declared from the referee seat.

Echizen served. Tezuka easily returned his serve, but aimed it deep towards the corner. Echizen, fed up with loosing, ran after the ball with every ounce of power he had within him and seeing as his left hand wouldn't reach the shot, he switched to his right hand. He managed to return the ball into Tezuka's court, which surprised the captain but nonetheless, he lifted his hand to return it. However, he was even more shocked when the ball wasn't held back by the Tezuka Zone and he took it in his racquet at full power. Tezuka returned, but the ball hit the net.

"15-40," Oishi stammered somewhat.

"Oh my god," Karin muttered with wide eyes. Fuji nodded. "Echizen's return was so strong; it broke Tezuka's racquet strings."

Once Tezuka changed racquets, the game continued. Echizen served, and Tezuka returned it easily but the freshman shocked everyone when he refused to change to his left hand. He returned it with all his power, but it hit the fence. Smirking, Echizen sighed. "Too much power…"

"Game, Tezuka, two games to three," Oishi said.

Now Tezuka bounced the ball on the court. Once he served, Echizen jumped into action. He swung his racquet recklessly, Karin realized, but it managed to hit inside Tezuka's court. The captain caught it in his racquet, but struggled to return it. Echizen smirked at this and returned it just as recklessly, and Tezuka struggled to return his shot once more.

"He's trying to break through the Tezuka Zone," Inui stated calmly. Momo raised an eyebrow. "Is that even possible?"

"It's a risky gamble," Fuji replied. "But possible,"

"His right hand isn't as controllable as his left, therefore with using that uncontrollable power, he's shaking up the Tezuka Zone," Inui explained. Karin smiled. "Basically, _he_ doesn't even know where the ball's gonna go."

This was proved to be true when Tezuka was forced to move from his spot. Echizen smirked at his working strategy and returned it again. Tezuka tried to force the Tezuka Zone on the incoming ball, but it was too strong and it surprisingly broke through. However, the ball went out.

"O-Out!" Oishi stammered.

Karin raised her eyebrows. "Ryo-chan broke through it."

The two rallied back and forth. At some point however, Echizen, willing to sacrifice his score to break through his captain's Tezuka Zone, made a two-handed backhand and returned the ball so powerfully, the Tezuka had no chance to even move towards the shot.

"30-15!"

"Was that ok, buchou?" Echizen taunted with a smirk. Tezuka glanced at him sternly. "It was a nice return Echizen."

The dark night finally crept into the sky, and the two were still playing. Inoue blinked. "It's amazing how they're still playing with everything they've got,"

"It really is amazing, Inoue-senpai," Shiba said with awe. Inoue watched them play. "Those two are almost pushing human limits…"

Now with the score five to four, the two were completely drained of their energy.

"Advantage Tezuka!"

Throwing the ball in the air, Tezuka served swiftly. Echizen returned with his unpredictable right hand, but Tezuka saw beyond it and returned the ball with his famous Zero-shiki drop shot. The yellow ball flew over the net gently and rolled towards it upon touching the floor.

"Game and match, Tezuka," Oishi said. "Six games to four."

Everyone watched as the two went up to each other at the net. His golden eyes obscured by his hat, Echizen spoke calmly, "Should I raise your hand?"

"You'll probably need a chair for that!" Karin laughed. Everyone watching the match burst into laughter. As a result, Echizen blushed and Tezuka let out an irritated sigh.

"Buchou," Echizen frowned, his cheeks still tinted red. "Why did you—"

"My reasons are my own Echizen," he sternly cut him off. He then looked the freshman in the eyes. "Before we play again, become stronger and defeat me,"

"Of course," Echizen smirked as the crowd of onlookers clapped for their match.


	60. Sweet Memories

Like any other day, the Tokyo Airport was buzzing with life. People walked from place to place, getting to whatever flight they needed to be in at the moment, others bought souvenirs and others said goodbye to their relatives and loved ones.

Sighing, Karin's bright blue eyes scanned the waiting room she sat in. Her head rested on Tezuka's right shoulder who was calmly reading a book. Tezuka's family sat in the chairs across from theirs: Ayana was reading a magazine she'd found, her husband was playing _Nyan Cat_ with Karin's phone and Kunikazu sat with his arms crossed over his chest, but he had fallen asleep and his head was occasionally bobbing back and forth.

"What book is that?" Karin asked softly. Tezuka didn't look away from the text as he answered, "A book that you and your silly shenanigans don't let me finish."

Karin laughed at his attempt at humor and hugged his arm, nuzzling her cheek in his shoulder. "I don't want you to go…"

"Karin, please," Tezuka whispered. "Don't make this harder on me."

"I'm just kidding…" Karin took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "But I'm gonna miss you."

"I know," Tezuka closed the book and laid his head on hers. "I'll miss you too,"

The two sat in silence until Tezuka caught eye of Karin's JanSport backpack she normally uses for school on the floor by her feet. The bag had a checkered design using the colors green, blue and black.

"Why did you bring your bag?" Tezuka asked. Karin smirked. "I'm coming with you; duh…"

The tennis captain rolled his eyes and sighed. Karin heard him sigh and she did so as well.

Suddenly, a female voice came up on the speakers. "Flight to Munich, Germany; passengers may start boarding now."

Everyone immediately tensed at the announcement.

"I don't want you to go!" Karin cried as she clung to Tezuka's leg. They stood before the check-in where you scan your luggage before entering the plane.

"Karin…" Tezuka tried to shake her off his leg and blushed in embarrassment as civilians took quick glances at them.

"But Kuni!" Karin pouted as she stood up. Tezuka ceased his eyebrows but said nothing.

"Kunimitsu, you be careful, ok?" Ayana told her son as she hugged him. Tezuka hugged her tightly and nodded. "Of course, okaa-san,"

"Don't strain yourself, son," Kuniharu said as he hugged him.

"That runs in the family, so watch out with that," Kunikazu smiled and hugged his favorite (and only) grandson. "Kick everyone's ass over there, you hear me?"

"Yes, ojii-san," he rolled his eyes. Tezuka glanced at Karin and she gave him the deepest hug of all.

"I'll call you as soon as I get there," Tezuka told her softly. Karin nodded as she nuzzled her face in his neck. "You better,"

"I will," Tezuka faced her and gave her a rare smile. They then shared a soft kiss. Tezuka's cheeks flared at the fact that his family was watching and tried to pull away but Karin held him in place. However, Kunikazu coughed in a suggestive way. They parted their kiss and looked over, only to see Kuniharu hitting his father over the head.

"Really? You _had_ to do that?"

"I choked on my saliva you idiot; you know how difficult these dentures are?" Kunikazu protested. "Wait until you're seventy-two like me!"

"At least when I'm seventy-two I don't need to deal with you anymore," Kuniharu stated calmly. Ayana sighed irritably and rubbed her temple.

Karin giggled as she watched father and son glare at each other like children; she figured that it was their stress of their son/grandson leaving that had them like this and it was like loop hole to get rid of the anxiety. Tezuka kissed her forehead and smiled against it. "Just ignore them,"

"All passengers of the flight to Munich, Germany; please start boarding now," the female voice came up on the speakers again. Tezuka sighed heavily. Saying his final goodbyes, he started to make his way to the check-in.

Karin watched him attentively as the workers checked his luggage and took his flight ticket. Beyond the check-in were different doors with different flights. The one that he was going to take was at the far left with a glowing sign that said its destination.

Just as he was swinging his bag over his shoulder, Ayana patted Karin's shoulder, shaking her from her daze.

"Karin!" she said with eyes wide. "You forgot to give it to him!"

"Oh right!" Karin jumped. She grabbed her JanSport and dashed towards where he was but the check-in was serving as a barrier.

"Miss, you're going to wait in line to get your luggage checked before you can move on from this point," the security guard told her gruffly. Scoffing, Karin placed her JanSport on the luggage belt and bounced on her feet impatiently. She scanned the area with her eyes and almost gasped when she realized Tezuka was just a few feet from the door to his flight.

Karin quickly opened her JanSport and pulled out an almost perfectly wrapped rectangle-shaped item. Making sure the security wasn't looking; she made a break for it and somehow caught up to Tezuka and pulled him a few feet next to his flight door.

His face written with obvious shock and he blinked a few hundred times. "Karin, what are you doing?"

"I forgot to give you this," she held up the wrapped rectangle. "I was actually saving this for our first month's anniversary but since you're leaving, I thought it'll be a better idea to give it to you now," she explained with a soft smile. "I made it all myself and I stayed up last night finishing it up."

It was true. Karin was actually dead tired from staying up last night, but knowing that it was for him, she didn't mind her exhaustion. Karin had worked very hard on it, using her creativity skills to its finest. Karin was relieved that Tezuka never caught her with it; he almost did once though, that Sunday morning when he came over but thankfully, she hid it in her drawer telling him it was a stray bra.

Tezuka took it in his hands. He subconsciously dug his thumb into a loose end to rip it open but Karin stopped him by placing her hand on his. "Don't open it here," she told him. "Open it when you're really, _really_ bored on the plane."

Tezuka nodded. "Thank you Karin." The two hugged once more, more tightly.

"I love you," he whispered. Karin smiled. "Love you too, Kunimitsu." Their lips met in a flash, sharing a deep kiss which only lasted three mere seconds because the female announcer spoke again:

"This is the last call for the Munich, Germany flight. All passengers please—"

"I'll miss you," Karin hugged him again. Tezuka nodded on her shoulder. "Me too, Karin,"

They broke apart against their wills and Karin watched as he walked through the door flashing _Munich, Germany_ on top. He took a quick glance back at her, made a small smile, and then disappeared from her sight.

With Kunikazu entertaining the security guard, telling him he was a retired pilot for the Japanese army, Karin managed to slip through the check-in and out the airport with the Tezuka family.

The car was silent on the way back. They decided to drop Karin off at Seigaku since today was a school day (Karin however, cared less if she was late) and then continue off to their house. As they drove however, Karin looked up at the cerulean blue sky with scattered puffy clouds. A small smile formed on her lips upon spotting an airplane high in the sky. The chances that Tezuka was on that plane were one in a million, but as she watched the plane lazily fly through the sky, she was no doubt reminded of Tezuka Kunimitsu. She knew from that day on that every plane she spotted in the sky would be his sole image.

**Extended Ending**

Resting his head on the circular window, Tezuka saw a blurry reflection of his solemn face on the glass. Sighing, he remembered how the pilot had estimated about twelve hours of flight. He then glanced at the seat next to him. He'd had a pleasant conversation with the old woman that sat there for the first hour of the flight. She had asked him why such a young man was heading to Germany. When he explained his reason, she wished him the best of everything in his rehabilitation. She explained that she was going to Germany to see her son who was getting married to a German woman. She'd then decided to ask him if there was a special girl in his life, and he nodded, telling her of Karin, but didn't go into details since he's a very closed-in person.

At some point, the old woman excused herself and went to sit with her husband who had gotten a different seat, leaving Tezuka alone with his thoughts, not that he minded really. Currently, he'd been sitting on the plane for two hours and a half. The majority of the passengers on the plane were sleeping, others were listening to music and others were merely working on their laptops or electronic devices. No one however, was talking to anyone, which gave the plane a serene atmosphere.

Tezuka's eyes drifted to his bag, which he'd placed in the old woman's chair after she'd left. He opened it and pulled out the wrapped item Karin had given him, following her instructions and opening it when he was extremely bored on the flight.

He tore the paper as quietly as he could. He did this successfully, and his honey-brown eyes met a landscape orientated scrapbook. His eyebrows furrowed in curiosity as he discarded the paper and placed the book on his lap. The front cover was various pictures of different natural sceneries such as cherry blossom trees, vivid green grasslands, lush forests, and clear streams and rivers. As a heading were letters in different fonts saying: _The Awesome Guide to the Most Famous Mountains in the World!_

Shaking his head with a smirk, he opened the book and on the first page was a dedicatory note in small print. It read: _According to Inui's secret notebook which I stole and probably going to get killed for doing so later, you've always wanted one of these so enjoy it!  
>P.S. I wrote it all in English because Japanese is hard so good luck! :)<em>

Chuckling softly, he turned the page and his eyes met a beautiful picture of Mount Everest during a sunrise on the left page. Surrounding the picture were little stickers of snowmen and scarves and mittens for decorative purposes. On the right page were colorful squares ranging from small to large depending on its contents. All the squares contained facts about Mount Everest; it's location: border of China and Nepal, elevation: 8,848 meters or 29,029 feet, first climbers: Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay and so on, even including a small history paragraph on it and fun facts. And when he turned the page, he saw that they were empty but decorated with the snowmen and such, but it was empty so you could place real pictures of the mountain if you actually go and visit it.

Now with a smile on his face, he took his time reading and looking at every single detail of every page. All the world's famous mountains and mountain ranges were in it: Mount Kilimanjaro, the Matterhorn (his favorite), Mount Vesuvius, K2, the Himalayas, the Great Smokey Mountains, the Rocky Mountains, the Alps, and many more. Something he found very funny though, was the page containing Japan's pride: Mount Fuji. Its pages were decorated with cherry blossoms and sushi roll stickers, and in one of the squares containing a fun fact it stated: _According to Japanese legend, millions and millions of years ago, an ancient dinosaur called FujiShusukesaurus Rex roamed the land. One day, it decided to take a huge dump and it was so huge that it became a mountain and it was named Mount Fuji in its honor._

Tezuka laughed silently at this. He could tell Karin was pouring her heart into this scrapbook, and he was enjoying every minute of it. After his silent laughter subsided (slightly), he kept reading all of the other passages attentively and scanning every detail, making sure he didn't miss one. As he reached the ending pages of the scrapbook, there weren't any more mountains, but pictures of his friends and family. There was the famous picture of the team on the mountaintop and the sideline pictures of them (including the one where Fuji caught them in a kiss and the one Karin caught him in and didn't find out about it until now). There were also others of the team during practice and school hours which he figured were taken when he was absent and the strip of pictures that he took with Karin when they were buying the ingredients for the pizza. There were pictures of his family too: his mother tending to her flowers in the backyard, his father surprised by a sudden picture but then smiling in the next one, his grandfather feeding the Karp in the pond and another of him playing shogi with Karin's grandfather (apparently he was losing, judging by the expression on his face). The pages were all decorated with happy faces and colorful stars. Tezuka also saw the Snapple cap that he'd bought Karin for the first time.

_No wonder she had asked for it yesterday_, his mind clicked. He smiled as he read it more than three times, recalling the memories behind that one cap. There was a side note next to that it saying: _If I put all the Snapple caps you bought me together, I'd make another one of these books._ That made him lean back on his chair and laugh silently.

After looking through all the pictures once more, he turned the last page, and his eyes subconsciously saw the interior of the back cover. His eyes however, slowly drifted at another single photo that was placed in the middle of the last page on the left and was almost shocked at what he saw. It was the first picture they'd ever taken together, the one at the Kawamura's sushi shop where the reporter, Shiba, had taken it and Karin had forced him to take it. He was seriously annoyed in the picture and his glasses were crossed diagonally across his face because Karin face was pressed onto his, and she was smiling like an idiot. He shook his head, recalling his memories on that day. They weren't even dating back then; and he remembers how he used to think at the time that she was obnoxious and immature; how he used to scold her and make her run laps. _He_ was the immature one for not getting to know her better, and now, he can't even believe that he thought about Karin in such a negative way. Karin changed him; she flipped his world upside down and tossed it around until he finally turned into what he is now.

And he's entirely thankful for that. 


	61. Michiko's Idea

**A/N: I am EXTREMELY sorry for the very long wait you guys. I really appreciate your support! The story is continuing on, so here's the next chapter! Again, sorry for the wait!**

**o.O.o**

With her cheek supported by her palm, her gaze was to the window next to her. Her clear blue eyes were looking up at the matching sky, wondering when the next airplane would fly by. It hasn't been nearly an hour since he left and she's already feeling empty inside.

The class was longer than usual, but when it did end, Karin walked out of the class and walked through the hallways. After she changed into her tennis uniform, she walked towards the courts. She was happy with the fact that the team, regulars and all, were all practicing and trying everything they could to improve and win for their captain. But alas, Karin wasn't in such high spirits, but she tried to maintain her smile.

"Are you ok, Karin-chan?" Oishi was the first to approach her when she entered the courts. Karin nodded. "Yeah,"

"If it's not any trouble…how long has it been since Tezuka left Japan?" he asked slowly. Karin shrugged, pulling out her phone and looking at the time. "He left about five hours ago. I looked up the flight time and it's about eleven to twelve hours."

"Oh, ok," Oishi nodded and patted Karin on the shoulder in reassurance before making his way towards a few juniors to help them with their drills. Taking a short breath, the American girl looked up at the sky again.

"Karin-chan,"

Her glance snapped over to Inui, who stood next to her. She raised her eyebrows. "What's up?"

"You want to play?" he asked, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. "I don't have a partner."

"Sure," she hesitated before replying, but Inui didn't notice.

Standing at the baseline, Karin dribbled the ball and didn't even bother to look over and just served the ball.

"Fault!" the referee called out.

"_Damn,_" she cussed. Inui furrowed his eyebrows at her lame excuse for a serve but figured the sun was in her face and didn't let her see his court. Everyone practicing on the courts took quick glances when they heard 'fault' coming from the one that is the best server on the whole Seigaku team.

She tossed the ball in the air again and hit it, but it collided with the net.

"Double fault!" the referee declared, "15-love!"

Letting out a soft, irritated sigh through her nose, she fished out a ball from her pocket and threw it to Inui, who caught it in his hand when it bounced towards him. His eyes were obscured by is foggy glasses, but even a blind person could tell he was shocked.

"You serve," Karin told him plainly.

"You haven't finished the game," the referee said matter-of-factly. Karin turned to face him with a sort of aggravated look, something foreign to see in her eyes.

The referee, intimidated by her glare, gulped and avoided her piercing eyes.

Inui, still shocked at Karin's behavior, said nothing and served the ball swiftly. Karin ran towards the ball and returned it, but it hit just an inch behind the baseline.

"Out! 15-love!"

Karin sighed and glanced at Inui. "Sorry Sadaharu-chan, I'm really not in the mood for this,"

"It's alright," Inui shrugged. The two exited the court they were on. Inui went to drink water but Karin went over to the bench where she put her racquet away and sat down. She looked up at the sky and frowned. She promised herself she wouldn't get like this; she told herself to improve her skill so she could win the nationals with the regulars and fulfill Tezuka's wish.

"Oishi," Karin called out to him. When he turned to see her, he saw her getting up from the bench. "I'm going home; I really don't want to play today,"

"It's ok, come to practice whenever you want," Oishi said. "Be safe Karin-chan."

"Don't worry," she smiled half-heartedly and walked out of the courts. She decided to walk home, not bothering to run after her bus after it left the stop.

She opened the gate to her house, and was greeted by an excited Ramesses. He wagged his tail and barked happily at seeing his beloved owner, but with her mind elsewhere, she merely patted his head softly and walked by him. The dog whimpered, lowered his tail and flopped his ears, feeling the sadness within his owner. He followed her hesitantly as she walked into the house.

"You're home early," Jun stepped out into the hallway. Karin shrugged and placed her bag against the wall. "I didn't feel like playing today," she stepped into the house, but forgot to remove her shoes and just walked with her Converse sneakers on up the stairs.

"Hey!" Satoshi, hearing the squeaky sound of her shoes on his hardwood floors, his head perked up from the kitchen. "How many times do I—"

"Just leave her, Satoshi," Jun scolded her husband silently, who glanced at her with a confused expression. Looking into his wife's eyes, he nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see. Alright then,"

Upon entering her room, she took a long shower and changed into her pajamas. She laid down on her bed and sighed heavily. She stared up at her ceiling, seeing the orange rays of the setting sun on it.

Jewel nuzzled her head against Karin's cheek, making her look over at her elegant cat. Smiling softly, she petted her head. The cat looked at her with vivid green eyes and her tail moved from side to side.

Karin laughed gently and stroked Jewel's fur. "He's not here, Jewel. He won't be coming over for a long time…"

Jewel meowed. Her head turned as she looked around as she looked around the room, her cheerful eyes suddenly saddening. She meowed again and hopped off the bed, pouncing to the bedroom door, sat before it and looked up at it, as if waiting for him to walk through it any minute and greet her.

"Jewel, c'mon…" Karin's eyebrow's ceased, but the cat merely meowed and didn't move from her spot. Rolling her eyes, Karin looked up at the ceiling again. She brought her hand to her neck and took the violet pendant he had given her in her fingers, toying with it. And suddenly, she remembered his words:

"**I'll call you as soon as I get there," **

Karin sprung out of her bed and emptied out her tennis bag until her phone came out. She grabbed it and looked at the screen. She sighed in relief when she had no missed phone calls from any strange foreign country.

She laid on her bed once more and just stared up at the screen of her iPhone, which was a picture of them at a fishing trip they'd gone too with Tezuka's grandfather. Karin smiled when she saw him smiling softly in the picture like he usually does, showing off his adorable dimples. Seeing the time, she'd counted an estimate of eight hours on the flight, so a total of four more hours were needed.

To kill time, she went downstairs and played video games for a while. After getting bored with that, she started to watch a movie, but didn't even finish half of it. Her grandmother then called her for dinner, and she was surprised to see a bowl of fettuccini pasta with Alfredo sauce. With a questioning look, she glanced at her grandmother, who only smiled and said she needed a little happiness boost. Her grandfather even stated it was only _slightly_ better than Japanese food, but still pretty good.

By the time she knew it, it was dark as a cave outside, with only street lights to illuminate the neighborhood. Karin sat on her desk, finishing the last of her homework.

Suddenly, her phone began to vibrate against the covers of her bed. Looking over she only saw its light since it was under her blanket. She crawled onto her bed and finding her phone, she looked at the screen only to see the weirdest looking number and words saying: _München, Deutschland_.

Her fingers suddenly going limp and her heart beating fifty times per second, she fumbled to slide the bar to the right and answered the call. When she did, she slowly brought it to her ear.

"_Hello?_" her habit got to her, but thankfully, the person at the other end was well aware of this habit.

"Karin," the deep voice stated, with a sprinkle of happiness in it.

"Kuni!" Karin jumped on her bed happily. "I thought you were never gonna call me! Is it pretty over there? Are they all blonde with blue eyes? Do they really eat sausage with beer? Do they spit when the talk? Do—"

Tezuka's chuckle stopped her rambling. "I got here just fine, thank you for asking."

"I was just about to ask you that!" Karin sat on her bed with a pouty face. Tezuka chuckled. "Everything is nice here; there are people from all over the world and it's very professional."

"That's so cool!" Karin beamed.

"I haven't even unpacked my things yet. I decided to call you first so you wouldn't get worried," he told her softly. Karin smiled. "You're so cute!"

"And I loved the book," Tezuka said. "It was very thoughtful and creative of you. Thank you."

Karin blushed with a big grin. "You're welcome Kuni; I knew you were gonna like it!" she played with her hair. "So whatcha doing now?"

"I'm looking out the window," he said. "I have a prefect view of the city from here."

"It's daytime over there?"

"It's actually 3 p.m.," he replied. "What time is it in Tokyo?"

"It's…" Karin trailed off to take a small peek at the time on her phone before placing it back on her ear. "10 p.m. here,"

"So Japan's seven hours ahead," Tezuka quickly did the math. Karin sighed. "How the hell could you do math that easily?"

"It's not that difficult. All you do is count—"

"Don't even try," Karin stopped him before he could go into detail. She then smiled. "So how is it over there?"

"Since I just arrived, they let me into my room here to unpack and rest if I wanted too. They'll give me a tour tomorrow of the center and Munich,"

"Ohhh…" Karin trailed off. "When do you start the treatment?"

"The day after tomorrow," he stated simply. Karin pouted. "I miss you so much already!"

"Me too," he said sadly. "But I'll call you every day to see how you and everyone's doing."

"Did you call your parents already?"

"I'll do that after I finish talking to you,"

"Which will be three hours later," Karin giggled. Tezuka chuckled. "I suppose so."

Outside Karin's door, Mizushima Satoshi smiled at hearing his granddaughter's excited voice when Tezuka called her. He walked down the hall and down the stairs. His wife had already turned in for the day, so the downstairs floor was empty except for Ramesses who was sleeping on the living room floor.

Sighing, Satoshi sat at the dinner table and took the house phone into his hand, dialing the only number in his life he's memorized.

He placed the phone on his ear, waiting for the person at the other end to pick up.

"_Hello?_"

"Speak Japanese," Satoshi told his only daughter, a smile on his face.

Michiko giggled. "Hi daddy,"

"Hello sweetie, how's everything in America?"

"Everything's fine," she said happily. Satoshi looked around the room absentmindedly. "Where's Kaichi?"

"He fell asleep watching a movie," Michiko said. "Why?"

"Just asking," Satoshi stated simply. "You know Tezuka-kun left for Germany today to get his arm healed, right?"

Michiko gasped. "He did? Is Karin alright?"

"She's talking to him in her room now and I'm glad; she looked so miserable," Satoshi sighed sadly. Michiko nodded. "I know how she feels; I felt just the same way when Kaichi left to play in the Australian Open when we were seventeen."

"I feel like I'm seeing you and Kaichi all over again," Satoshi chuckled. "But you two started dating in junior year."

"Yeah," Michiko said softly. "Seigaku had the same effect on Karin's generation."

"Apparently," Satoshi chuckled, but then sighed. "But I hate to see her the way she came in this afternoon; she's usually so happy and jumpy and that boy left and everything just disappeared."

"That happens; I can tell those two have been through a lot," Michiko told her father. Satoshi nodded. "More than you think; I remember Kazu telling me those two never got along until now."

"All that bickering led up to love; it's cute," Michiko smiled. "But I'd hate to just think Karin is upset…"

"She's my granddaughter; how do you think I feel?" Satoshi said. He paused when he heard nothing from Michiko's side.

"Michiko?"

"Daddy, I know how to cheer Karin up," her smile could be seen from where Satoshi sat.

"How?" Satoshi somehow knew what was coming.

"You remember those girls we brought to your house when we visited Japan in the summer; four years ago?"

"Yes…one was Canadian right?"

"Yeah...you think—"

"You're lucky I love you and my granddaughter so much," Satoshi frowned.


	62. Karin's Boy Toy

"So is Germany pretty?" Karin grinned as she rolled around on the bed, phone to her ear.

"It is," Tezuka responded from the other side. "The taxis are all _Mercedes_."

"That's awesome," Karin petted Ramesses who was laying at the edge of her bed. "Even Jewel and Ramesses miss you…but mostly Jewel."

"I can imagine," he sighed. "How's the team?"

"I practiced with them yesterday and they're fine; they'll be pros before you know it," Karin smiled.

"I hope you're getting better too?"

"Of course!" Karin grinned.

Tezuka chuckled. "I bet you are; maybe you can beat me when we see each other again."

"Playing tennis with you will be the last thing I'd wanna do when I see you again," Karin pouted. "I want some lip-action so bad!"

Tezuka sighed heavily but Karin could see his smirk. "Karin, it's late in Japan and you have school tomorrow."

"But it's only 11:36," she pouted but he insisted. "Go to bed, we'll talk tomorrow; don't worry."

"Yes sir," Karin sighed.

"I love you," his sudden but gentle words made her heart flutter and a blush rise to her cheeks. She smiled softly. "I love you too."

The next morning soon arrived in Japan and as Karin walked to school, she couldn't help but think that Tezuka was sleeping at the present moment. Using her phone's calculator, it was around one in the morning in Munich.

The day went by steadily. Classes were the usual, Karin had her usual lunch with Fuji and Kikumaru and then after a few more hours of classes, it was time for practice.

"Karin-chan, could you play with me?" Fuji walked over with his usual smile. Karin adjusted her hat and nodded. "Sure!"

Taking their places on the court, Karin dribbled the ball. "Light rally right?"

Fuji nodded. Karin tossed the ball in the air and made a swift serve. Fuji returned quickly and the rally began. By the fence, Oishi stood with Inui.

"She's livelier than she was a few days ago, don't you think?" Inui scribbled in his notebook. Oishi sighed in relief. "I'm glad; it broke my heart to see her like that."

"I wonder how Tezuka's doing…" Inui closed his notebook. Oishi smiled. "Karin-chan told me he's already starting his treatment."

About thirty minutes passed before Fuji caught the ball in his hand as it bounced towards him. He grinned. "Let's take a break, Karin-chan,"

"Ok," Karin nodded and walked with him out of the court and towards the fence. She pouted as she did so. "I hate not having Kuni here; now I have to buy Snapple myself…"

Fuji laughed. "Are you going to buy one?"

"Nah, too lazy," she smiled. Karin made her way to the bench and sat down. She looked up at the sky and smiled upon seeing an airplane fly by.

"Karin-senpai,"

The girl looked down and saw none other than Echizen standing there, his racquet swung over his shoulder casually.

"What's up Ryo-chan?" Karin grinned and pulled his hat over his eyes playfully. He grunted uncomfortably and lifted the hat again. "Could you play a match with me?"

"Sure thing," Karin stood and stretched. She made her way to the court and began to play a light match with the freshman. However, a distant voice made the team stop their practice.

"This school better be the right one or I'm stabbin' someone!" an aggravated-sounding voice cried out.

The Seigaku team blinked quizzically as a girl slammed open the gate to the courts. She had long, shiny and straight black hair picked up in a ponytail, side-bangs parted to the right of her face and hazel eyes that were a blend between jade green and golden honey. She wore a plain turquoise t-shirt, an unbuttoned jacket, jeans and grey TOMS shoes.

Just as she slammed open the door; she was followed by two other girls. One of them had pale, shoulder-length and straight blonde hair with a small purple bow clipped to the left side of her head and sparkling green eyes. She wore a lilac long-sleeved shirt, Bermuda shorts and black converse sneakers. The other girl had long strawberry blonde hair placed into two pigtails that rested on her shoulders and were a bit wavy at the tips and had shiny amber eyes. She wore a zipper-less, bright red hoodie with a white maple leaf on the front, jeans and red Vans.

The team jumped at the excitable shriek Karin let out and felt a sudden gust of air as she dashed over and glomped all three girls in her arms.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Karin cried as she hugged the girls.

"We've been looking for you all day!" the girl with the hooded jacket laughed.

"Your mom said your boy toy left to Russia so we came to take his place," the girl with the black hair grinned.

"He left to Germany," the blonde girl rolled her eyes with a smirk. She shrugged. "Whatever; same thing,"

"I can't believe mom would do this!" Karin hugged the girls again and they all laughed.

"Karin-chan, who are these ladies?" Oishi walked over with the rest of the regular team with a gentle smile. Karin smiled from ear to ear as she turned to them. "These are my three best friends from America!"

"Sakura Saito," the girl with the black hair introduced herself. The girl with the blonde glared at her. "In Japan, your last name comes first, then your first name."

Sakura rolled her eyes, making the blonde girl sigh but smile, "Akasaki Naomi, very nice to meet you all."

"I'm Rin Labelle!" the strawberry blonde grinned. Naomi slapped her forehead. "In one ear and out the other…"

"So these are your friends?" Fuji grinned. They had just introduced themselves again. Karin nodded. "Yeah!"

"Do you play tennis?" Inui asked. Sakura shook her head. "We can't play tennis for shit."

"That's ironic considering you're friends with Karin-chan," Taka-san blinked. Naomi smiled. "Yeah, that's irony for you."

"Karin, show me a picture of your boy toy!" Sakura grinned at her friend. Karin laughed and took out her cellphone and showed her the picture on the lock screen.

"That's _him_?" Sakura asked as she, Naomi and Rin flocked the phone to see the picture. Karin nodded proudly. "Yep,"

"Damn, he is one _fine _piece of man meat; can I keep him for a few days?" Sakura joked. Karin smirked. "Hell no, he's all mine."

"Have you made out?" Rin asked with a grin. Karin nodded. "You bet."

"Was there tongue?" Sakura asked. Karin stared at her for a second before laughing along with Rin and earning a face-palm from Naomi. Sakura lifted her hands in the air. "I can't ask a simple question can I?"

"Simple?" Naomi raised an eyebrow with a smirk. Sakura flailed her arms. "This is Karin we're talking about! I need to know _everything_!"

"So you guys like my friends?" Karin turned to the team as Sakura kept comically arguing with Naomi and Rin laughed.

"They seem nice," Fuji smiled. The rest of the team nodded with the exception of Kaidoh who just hissed. Then there was Echizen who sighed. "Mada mada dane…"

Little did Karin know however, Sakura, Rin and Naomi had a mild confusion on which school she was attending…

**After arriving at the airport, Karin's grandfather, Satoshi, picked them off and took them to his house where they dropped off their bags. After having a brief conversation with Karin's grandmother, Jun, the girls decided to go see Karin at her school. Before the old couple could tell them the name of the school however, the girls dashed out.**

"**Why did you drag us out that way? Now we have no idea where Karin's school is!" Naomi glared at Sakura. The girl in question smirked. "I didn't drag you out; you followed."**

"**Guys can't we just take a subway?"Rin asked. The girls agreed to take the subway, only to realize that they had no idea where they were going. However, when they got off on the next stop, there was a group of what looked like students their age. They wore school uniforms, as Naomi pointed out, so they went up to them and asked.**

"**Hi, we're lost; do you know a famous school that plays tennis really good?" Rin asked with wide eyes. A boy from the group nodded. "Around here the top tennis-playing school would be the school I go too," he pointed in the direction. "You walk at least two blocks and you're there; you can't miss it."**

"**Alright, thanks kid," Sakura nodded and the girls went off to find their best friend's school. Like the boy said, you couldn't miss it. The school was gigantic and prestigious. Everything looked like it was made yesterday; new and immaculate.**

**It didn't take them long to find the tennis courts either; considering the students' cheering could be heard a mile away. It looked like tennis courts from a Grand Slam tournament; huge bleachers and about five side-by-side courts. The girls stood on top of the bleachers, looking down at the courts. The bleachers were all packed with students and on the courts, although small due to being so far, were a group of about seven boys, one of them standing at the center of the courts speaking into a microphone. **

"**And ore-sama promises that we will become champions and win the Nationals!" the boy spoke into the microphone.**

**Naomi looked around. "I don't know how we're gonna find Karin here…" Naomi turned to her friends. "Any ide—" Her eyes widened when she only saw Rin standing behind her with her hands in her hoodie's pockets. **

"**Where's Sakura?" Naomi asked her. Rin pointed towards the tennis courts. "She's walking to the courts."**

"**And why didn't you stop her?" Naomi looked over to see Sakura making her way down the bleacher's stairs, then back to Rin who shrugged. "I didn't notice she left till now."**

**Naomi sighed heavily and face-palmed. Suddenly, both girls cringed at the static sound of a microphone. **

"**Gimme—I need—I said—!" Those were the only words that were comprehensible while the ear-shattering static was heard. Soon enough, the static fixed itself and Naomi and Rin began hurrying down the stairs of the bleachers.**

"**Hey, Karin! If you're here scream or something!" Sakura, on the court with the microphone, said. The courts became quiet as a colony of mice, making Sakura sigh irritably.**

"**May ore-sama know why you've taken ore-sama's microphone so rudely?" the boy who previously held the microphone asked in an annoyed tone. Sakura looked up at him and held the mic away from her to avoid speaking into it. "I'm looking for my friend; is she here? Her name's Karin."**

"**Namikaze Karin?" his eyes suddenly widened. Sakura raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Yeah, her,"**

"**She doesn't come to this school; but I'm flattered you chose to visit Hyotei," the boy smirked. Sakura sighed and turned to Naomi and Rin who just made their way over to her. **

"**We're in the wrong school guys," Sakura informed them. **

"**She goes to Seishun Gakuen," the same boy answered. "Seigaku for short."**

"**You better not be lyin' pretty boy," Sakura handed him the microphone aloofly. He smirked. "You're her friends from the States I presume?" **

"**Nah we're from France," Sakura shrugged and spoke in a French accent, "Want a cwasont?"**

"**We're sorry for this," Naomi apologized. The boy shook his head. "It's no problem; friends of Karin-chan are friends of ore-sama."**

**As the girls started to make their way out of Hyotei's courts, the static of the microphone screeched for a second before the boy's voice was heard. **

"**May ore-sama know your name?"**

**The girls turned to see him pointing at Sakura. She pointed at herself to make sure, and when she received a nod, she spoke in a French accent, "Marie Antoinette **_**monsieur**_**," **

**And with that, the girls quickly left the school and headed towards Seishun Gakuen. **


	63. Being Nosy

"I hate these skirts!" Sakura frowned. "I look like Marilyn Monroe when the wind blows."

"I know what you mean," Karin sighed heavily. Rin giggled as she spun around. "I like them!"

"So do I," Naomi straightened her uniform. It was early in the morning and Karin and her friends made their way into Seigaku. Luckily, there was no morning practice, which meant Karin could show them important locations in the school. Naomi pretty much knew everything since she's up-to-date on Japanese culture—she was the only one that took her shoes off in Karin's. Sakura and Rin were the ones that were lost, but Karin gave them pointers.

"Ok guys, classes are gonna start in about five minutes so I need to get going," Karin said as she turned to her friends and adjusted her bag's strap on her shoulder. "Just go to the office and they should give you your room number."

"Alright, see ya," they all said. Karin laughed. "Don't get lost!"

Now, Karin sat in class. As the teacher took attendance, she glanced out the window before drifting her eyes to the empty seat next to her. He misses him so much already. She actually couldn't speak with him yesterday at all. Her friends were begging her to call him, but Karin insisted he would call her. He finally did at nine p.m. (which makes it approximately noon in Munich) but told her he only had a bit of time to talk to her because of some treatment he was having so he decided to call her then. He only told her this and said "ich liebe dich" and hung up. Naomi took it upon herself to look up the translation and they nearly melted when it translated to "I love you" in German.

Suddenly, the classroom door swung open, revealing none other than Sakura and Naomi. With wide eyes, Karin watched them stand at the doorframe.

"Is this class 3-1?" Sakura asked the teacher, who nodded quickly. Naomi pointed outside. "It actually says it over—"

"Oh what's up, Karin's in this class!" Sakura dashed over to her and pointed at the empty seat next to her. "Is this where he used to sit?"

"Yup," Karin smiled. Sakura turned to Naomi. "Naomi, you should sit there because you of all people need his awesomeness to rub off on you."

"I'm not awesome enough?" Naomi raised an eyebrow as she walked over and sat down.

"Well, it's mostly because if I sit there, Karin won't get any work done," Sakura then slipped into the desk behind Naomi's and kicked Naomi's chair. "And I can kick your chair from back here!"

"Oh god, this is gonna be like third period…" she sighed heavily as Sakura and Karin laughed. Soon, the teacher quieted down the class after taking attendance and started the class. As everyone opened their textbooks, Karin leaned over to Naomi. "Here, where did Rin end up?"

"Not sure," Naomi whispered. Sakura overheard, "She knew where she was going apparently—besides—if she got lost she would've text me by now."

The class went by pretty quickly, considering that Sakura kept kicking Naomi's seat and she kept getting angry. At some point, the blonde girl got so annoyed, she tossed a paper ball over her shoulder and hit Sakura square in the face. Best part: she didn't get caught.

The bell rung for lunch and they quickly made themselves out of the classroom.

"I normally eat lunch with Eiji and Shusuke," Karin said. Sakura raised an eyebrow. "And they were…?"

"The red head and the one that had his eyes closed all the time," Karin replied. Naomi nodded. "Oh yeah, I remember them,"

The girls followed Karin to a classroom labeled as: 3-6. She slid open the door and they all looked inside to see Fuji and Kikumaru along with Rin sitting in desks that they moved together.

"Hey guys!" Rin waved her hand in the air and smiled. Karin grinned. "So you ended up with Shusuke and Eiji huh?" she looked over at the boys. "Hope she wasn't giving you any trouble."

"Not at all, she's interesting," Fuji smiled. "She's Canadian."

"Half-Canadian," Rin corrected. "But did you know he was born on a leap year? That's awesome!"

"Nya~," Kikumaru smiled. "You can only celebrate your birthday every four years!"

"That must suck, Shusuke," Karin said as she took a seat next to Rin along with Sakura and Naomi. Fuji shook his head. "Not really; when it's not a leap year I celebrate my birthday on February 28th and March 1st."

"So you get double the presents?" Rin asked with wide eyes. Fuji grinned and nodded. "Pretty much; even though I tell Nee-san it's not necessary she insists."

"That's not fair!" Kikumaru pouted.

**o.O.o**

After lunch, everyone went back to class. After classes ended however, they all headed off to tennis practice. Naomi, Rin and Sakura sat at the benches while everyone else practiced. At some point however, Karin walked over to the benches and sat down for a rest.

"Girl, you're on fire!" Sakura grinned. "You're gonna kick ass!"

"Thanks," Karin smiled as she drink some water. Naomi raised an eyebrow. "What school are you going up against?"

"According to Shusuke; it's a school called 'Jyousei Shounan'," Karin replied.

"They sound like they suck," Rin stuck her tongue out. "You'll beat them!"

Meanwhile, Coach Ryuzaki along with Inui and Oishi were inside the school, overlooking the tennis team practice through the window.

"How's your wrist, Oishi?" Ryuzaki asked. Oishi nodded from his seat, running his fingers over the bandages. "It's healing nicely. And I heard Taka-san's injury is healing as well."

"That's good to hear," she nodded. She then took the paper from the desk and looked through it. "Oishi, you're in your usual spot with Kikumaru in Doubles 1."

"Of course," he nodded. Ryuzaki nodded as well, but then furrowed her eyebrows. "As for Doubles 2…" she looked up at Inui, "I suppose we can put you and Karin in that slot."

"If you can convince her again," Oishi laughed. Ryuzaki sighed heavily. "That girl is so stubborn; I'm afraid I'll have to force her…"

"Actually," Inui said suddenly, catching the attention of both the coach and Oishi. "Can I make a suggestion?"

"Go ahead," Ryuzaki nodded. Inui cleared his throat. "I think Karin-chan should be placed in Singles 3 this time,"

"But who will be your partner?" Oishi asked.

"I have already thought this all through; I've talked to Kaidoh about this topic recently and he agreed to play doubles with me."

"But you and Karin make an excellent pair and it was you who designed your combination. What's with this change all of the sudden?" Ryuzaki asked suspiciously. Inui pulled out a magazine, flipped to the page and showed it to his coach. "This article was written showing the interview of a Jyousei Shounan regular named Wakato Hiroshi—that school is our next opponent."

Ryuzaki took the magazine and began reading the article. The reporter asked Wakato what his thoughts on Seigaku were. This was his reply:

_Seigaku? They're our next opponent. They seem like a bunch of weirdos if you ask me—they're probably weak too. I mean—they have a girl on their team! How desperate do you have to be to have a girl on their team? Just imagine the coach! How incompetent!_

Ryuzaki's eyebrow twitched but she kept reading:

_And speaking of that girl, I heard she was the daughter of Namikaze Kaichi. That man doesn't deserve the title of number one; whoever trained must've been the worst possible trainer._

Ryuzaki began to grip the magazine tightly in anger. No one makes fun of her students!

Oishi and Inui watched as Ryuzaki finished up the article:

_Namikaze Kaichi copies people's play styles. That's weak—and sure—I do it too but I do it much, much better and with greater skill and style…I challenge that girl! Just to have her judge for herself who's better! I'll beat Seigaku easily!_

Ryuzaki sighed and closed the magazine calmly. The regulars watched their coach place the magazine on the table and walk to the window.

"So he thinks that Seigaku is weak huh…" she clenched her teeth and turned to her students with the scariest face they've ever seen. "HOW DARE HE SAY WE'RE INCOMPETENT!"

"Ryuzaki-sensei, please calm down…" Oishi tried to reason. He then turned to Inui. "Did you do this on purpose…?"

"Competitive spirit is crucial after all," Inui replied.

Ryuzaki slammed her fists on the desks, making the boys jump. "We can't lose these matches! These people picked a fight and they're getting one!" she looked at Inui. "Inui!"

"Yes, sensei?" he answered.

"I want Karin in Singles 3! And make sure she can't lose!"

**o.O.o**

"I can't believe Sumire-chan doubled my training program!" Karin pouted. She and her friends were walking home since practice just ended.

"She probably had a good reason for it," Naomi said. Sakura sighed. "She better; Karin won't have enough energy to talk to Tezuka…"

"Oh don't worry, she'll find energy for that!" Rin giggled. Karin smiled. "Shut up will you?"

"You gonna call him today?" Rin asked.

"Of course," Karin nodded. Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you just face-chat?"

Karin stopped walking as Sakura's idea sunk in. She then smiled and began to jump up and down excitably. "Sakura, you're a genius!"

The girls rushed home and ran up to Karin's room. As Rin turned on Karin's computer, the latter began to dial up Tezuka's number.

"C'mon Kuni, answer the phone!" Karin said impatiently. Soon, the other side picked up the call.

"Hello? Karin?" Tezuka's deep voice sounded through the call.

"Kuni! Do you have a computer where you are?" Karin asked. Tezuka blinked at her random question but thought nothing of it and replied, "Yes,"

"And a web camera?"

Tezuka looked over at the computer on his desk in his room. On the monitor was a built-in web camera. "Yes, I have one. Why do you ask?"

"Ok, listen to everything I'm gonna tell you!"

After instructing Tezuka step by step through the phone, they managed to get the programs running.

"Ok, I'm calling you, something should pop up on your screen," Karin said. There was silence before Tezuka spoke again. "Hnn, I see it."

"Ok now—" Karin was cut off when Tezuka appeared at her computer screen. Smiling softly, he closed his phone. "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Kuni," Karin smiled. The two just sat there wordlessly, just smiling at each other. However, a sudden yell made them replace their smiles with shocked faces.

"TEZUKA!"

At hearing his name, his eyes flashed around. His eyes then widened as big as saucers when he saw three girls huddle up around Karin.

"I'm Sakura, very nice to meet you!" Sakura introduced herself. Rin laughed. "I'm Rin!"

"I'm Naomi," Naomi smiled. Karin laughed at his confused face. "They're my friends from America; the ones I told you about."

"Oh right, I remember," Tezuka nodded. Rin squealed. "You guys are so cute!"

"Th-Thank you?" he said, raising an eyebrow. Karin grinned. "How's everything?"

"I feel strange since I haven't played tennis in days but I'm fine," he responded.

"What part of Germany are you in?" Naomi asked.

"Munich," he said simply.

"Have you learned any German?" Karin asked. Tezuka nodded. "_Ja, ich habe viel gelernt_,"

"The hell?" Karin raised an eyebrow. "Hold on Kuni, I'm gonna Google-translate that,"

"Yes Karin, I'm learning a lot," he smiled softly. Rin placed her arms on Karin's head and rested there. "How much?"

"The basics," he said. "I'll probably get into the more complicated things later on,"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a furry feline jumped onto Karin's computer desk, making everyone make at least some yelp of surprise, except Tezuka who just jumped a bit.

Jewel waved her tail from side to side as her vivid green eyes gleamed over Tezuka's face on the screen.

"Damn, your cat's a ninja!" Sakura clutched her chest. Tezuka smiled softly. "Hi there Jewel,"

She meowed and began to run the length of her body over the computer screen as she purred. Rin squealed. "Aww! That's so adorable!"

"I wasn't kidding when I said she misses you," Karin laughed. What was visible of Tezuka's face on the screen showed he nodded. "I can see that,"

"But I miss you more," Karin smiled.

"You guys are gonna make me cry!" Rin squealed. Naomi patted her emotional friend's back with a warm smile. "Calm down, we're all gonna go through this at some point,"

"The love birds need some alone time!" Sakura said suddenly and began ushering Naomi and Rin out. She then came back for Jewel, who she grabbed by the torso quickly and ran out. "HAVE FUN!"

"So," Tezuka started, but Karin playfully glared at him. "They're cool, shut up."

"That's not what I was going to ask," he gave her a small smirk.

"The team is fine," she rolled her eyes.

"That's not it either,"

"Then what is it?" Karin laughed. Tezuka smiled, his honey-brown eyes shining brightly. "_Ich liebe dich_,"

Karin blushed and she fidgeted a bit. "I love you too, Kuni,"

"You guys are really gonna make me cry!" Rin's voice suddenly cried from behind the bedroom door. Karin flared. "You guys are so nosy!"

Sighing, Tezuka smiled as he watched their childish argument.


	64. Jyousei Shounan

"C'mon Karin, you better kick everyone's ass today!" Sakura said from her seat at the bench. Karin just laughed. Seigaku just arrived at the park where they'll be playing against Jyosei Shounan.

"Just try your best," Naomi said with a smile. Karin nodded. "Thanks,"

"Yeah!" Rin smiled.

"Ah, there you are Ryoma," the coach suddenly said, making all the teens look over at him. He merely nodded in response. Ryuzaki nodded as well and glanced at Oishi. "I'll leave the rest to you, substitute captain."

Oishi nodded determinedly and glanced at the entire team before holding out his hand. "Let's do our best!"

"Yeah!" Karin placed her hand on top of his along with Momo. However, seeing as no one else joined, they looked back in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Karin asked, blinking. Out of all people, Kikumaru shrugged. "That's a little childish you know…"

Echizen was next to place his hand, then Fuji, then Kaidoh and lastly Inui. Kikumaru jumped. "Nya! Don't leave me out!"

"Seigaku!" Oishi cried and everyone raise their hands in the air. "Fight!"

"Do your best guys," the gentle Kawamura said. Seeing this, Sakura leaned over to Karin. "Isn't he the one that goes insane when you give him a racquet?"

"Yup," Karin laughed. Naomi overheard and smirked, tossing Sakura a racquet that happened to be nearby. "Here ya go."

"Here's a racquet!" Sakura held it out to Kawamura. "Now go insane!"

"Ehh…I don't really need it…" he pushed it away gently, but Sakura insisted. "Take it!"

Taka-san finally took the racquet and with fire in his eyes, he swung the racquet around. "_Everyone! Listen to me!_" his Japanese-accented English was thick. "If you win this, it's all-you-can-sushi! If you lose, you get a year's supply of wasabi!"

"ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT?" everyone cried in sheer happiness.

"So that's Seigaku?" Jyousei Shounan captain Kajimoto Takahisa, softly whispered to himself. He and his team, along with their coach, Hanamura, stood by the courts they were going to play Seigaku in.

"Apparently," twins Kouhei and Youhei Tanaka said simultaneously, but the older one spoke next, "They don't look as strong as the coach said…"

"That's because they aren't," Wakato snorted as his fan club huddled around him.

**o.O.o**

"Alright, here's the play order," Ryuzaki held up a piece of paper and read it aloud. "Singles 1, Fuji. Singles 2, Echizen. Singles 3, Karin. Doubles 1, Oishi-Kikumaru and doubles 2, Inui-Kaidoh."

"Aww, I wanted Karin to go play!" Rin pouted. Karin shook her head. "Hell no, I hate doubles; I'm glad Sadaharu saved my ass from that one."

"I didn't know they allowed hookers in this park," Sakura raised an eyebrow, looking over to the opponent team's side. Naomi sighed heavily. "That's not a hooker Sakura; that's their coach."

"Well, she sure looks like one," Sakura frowned. "She thinks she looks cool with her boobs hanging out all over the place?"

"That's nasty," Rin stuck her tongue out, making the friends laugh.

The doubles 2 pairs walked out into the courts. The opponents are two girly looking twin boys who called themselves a 'unit' rather than a pair. This annoyed Kaidoh, but Inui placed his hand on the second-year's shoulder. "Control your anger Kaidoh,"

The match officially began. Kaidoh was first to serve. Hissing, he tossed the in the air and made a fast slice into the service box. The red haired twin returned it easily. Seeing this as a simple return however, Kaidoh ran towards the ball but just as he was about to return, the Seigaku pair noticed their opponent make a parallel formation at the service line.

However, Kaidoh saw through this and hit a high lob to the baseline—or at least he _thought _he saw through it. Just as the lob was making its descent, the twins suddenly appeared at the baseline.

"What the hell?" Karin's eyes widened at this. She saw the twins laugh and one of them hit it into the corner of the court.

"Love-15!"

Serving again, the twins returned it and ran to the service line again. Kaidoh however, isn't one to fall for the same trick twice, and made sure to look at the baseline before making the lob. Nevertheless, the twins were at the baseline just like the previous time.

_My shots are being predicted_, Kaidoh thought to himself. _Am I that predictable?_

In rage, the second-year returned the ball, but it hit the net. Jyousei Shounan's fans cheered, which caused Kaidoh to hiss irritably. Inui merely glanced at his partner in concern.

Serving once more, the twins persistently did their parallel formation at the service line. However, Kaidoh began to become even more enraged upon hearing their conversation:

"What did you get on the test from last class?" the blue-haired twin asked. In return, his brother grinned. "I got 90%!"

_What?_ Kaidoh made his signature pose. _Don't underestimate me!_

"I got a perfect score!" the other twin responded, laughing.

Gripping his racquet, Kaidoh shot his famed Snake Shot. The twins however, saw this coming like all of Seigaku's shots and returned it at the baseline. Soon enough, Jyousei Shounan won that game.

"They're having a hard time…" Karin frowned. Rin raised an eyebrow as she munched on an apple she brought from Karin's house. "You think?"

As the games began to breeze by, everyone began to notice, especially Inui, that Kaidoh was being targeted. They were trying to get something out of him and it was pretty obvious what it was.

"No freaking way—it goes around the pole?" Sakura asked, wide-eyed. Karin nodded, her eyes remaining on the court. "Yeah, but they're trying to force him to use it."

"Game, Jyousei Shounan. 4 games to love!"

"Stubborn one, isn't he?" Kouhei sighed heavily. His twin shrugged. "Maybe the rumors aren't true after all…"

Sighing heavily, Kaidoh turned to his partner and held out his racquet. "Inui-senpai,"

Inui looked over. Kaidoh's eyes burned with an untamable fire. "Can we beat them already?"

Inui smirked and nodded, holding up his racquet as well. "Yes, Kaidoh, we can beat them now."


	65. The Golden Pair

Dribbling the ball, Kaidoh glanced at the opposite side of the court.

"Serve to the left corner," Inui instructed him. Without a word, Kaidoh tossed the ball and slice it into the opponent's court. They didn't even get a chance to react.

"15-love!"

"Alright!" Karin jumped up and down. "Kick their asses!"

Kaidoh served again. This time, they managed to return the ball, but in an almost perfect place; the perfect place for Kaidoh to do his unrevealed Boomerang Snake.

"They're just asking for it," Oishi shook his head.

Kaidoh began to run over to the ball and made his stance. The twins smirked. They finally coaxed it out of him.

"Is he really gonna do it?" Naomi's eyes widened. Karin smirked. "Nah, I know Sadaharu far too well for this."

Just like she'd thought, Inui suddenly appeared in front of Kaidoh and returned it. Surprised out of their minds, Kouhei returned it awkwardly. Now, Kaidoh took his stance and made his famous shot. The ball curved around and through the referee's chair and landed into the opponent's court. Seigaku burst into cheers while Jyousei Shounan muttered amongst themselves.

They breezed through the games until they were finally at 4 games to 5; Seigaku leading.

"You two are doing great," Ryuzaki told them as they walked over to the bench for a break. "Keep at it."

"Of course, sensei," the boys responded. Hissing, Kaidoh reached for a water bottle.

"Hey, mamushi!" Momo called out. Kaidoh glared at his rival, who laughed. "You're finally playing good doubles!"

"Be quiet," Kaidoh growled and drank from the bottle. Seeing this however, Inui blinked. "Ahh, Kaidoh…"

"Hmm?" he looked over curiously but it wasn't long before his vision began to blur out causing him to collapse to the floor.

"What the—" Ryuzaki blinked. "Kaidoh, get up!"

"He drank my experimental…" Inui trailed off to get the bottle from Kaidoh's hand which had Inui's name on it. As Kaidoh was taken away due to a stomach ache, the referee announced, "Jyousei Shounan wins the doubles 2 match due to Seigaku's withdrawal."

"WHAT!" Karin cried as she gripped the fence. Angrily, she dashed out into the court and smacked Inui on the head. "This is the second match you cost us, damn it!" she cried as she kept smacking him. "I'm really getting fed up with this: first the smash and now this! You better get your shit straight!"

Ryuzaki sighed heavily. Hanamura on the other hand smirked. "How careless, Ryuzaki-san; you should control your team better," she spoke sarcastically, glancing over at Inui who was rubbing his head and Karin being pulled away by her friends.

Ryuzaki glared at her but brushed it off. She wasn't going to let her get on her nerves just yet.

"Hoi hoi!" Kikumaru jumped onto the court and stretched his back. Oishi followed calmly with his usual smile. It was now doubles 1's match and the Seigaku pair got the shock of their lives when they saw their opponent, Kiriyama Daichi, who was freakishly tall and bulk.

"That guy's freakin' huge!" Rin's mouth gaped. Fuji laughed. "He's 195 centimeters according to Inui,"

"How much is that?" she raised an eyebrow. Fuji gave her a thoughtful look before replying, "About six foot three."

"That dude's Abraham Lincoln!" Sakura gripped the fence. Naomi squinted. "Where's his partner?"

"I think…" Karin started, only for the freakishly tall boy move over, revealing his incredibly short partner. "There he is."

"That's just strange," Naomi shook her head.

Upon meeting each other, the game began. Jyousei Shounan was first to serve and upon serving, Oishi returned the ball swiftly. However, the big guy, Kiriyama, returned the ball. Kikumaru sprung into action and jumped, catching the ball and returning, but Kiriyama foretold the direction of the return and shot it right back. Kiriyama also foretold the direction of Oishi's return as well, winning Jyousei Shounan the point.

"15-love!"

"Apart from being large, he can move quickly. He has a large reach so he can get to the ball within two to three steps," Inui explained. Karin winced. "Damn, two to three steps?"

"That guy's buff as hell," Rin blinked. "He should be a body-builder when he grows up!"

They served again. This time, Oishi shot a high lob but to everyone's surprise, Kiriyama jumped and returned it. Kikumaru jumped into action and quickly returned it. However, his partner, Oota, appeared and returned it swiftly. Oishi managed to catch up to it but Kiriyama was at the net already and returned it incredibly fast; stealing the point.

"That's Cannon Volley," Inui pointed out. Rin frowned. "What are you, Wikipedia?"

Fuji laughed. Karin raised an eyebrow. "I think this is gonna get worse though…"

Once the ball was served, Oishi returned the ball much higher than before to avoid what happened last time. Nonetheless, the Jyousei Shounan pair had another trick up their sleeve. Oota ran up behind his partner, climbed up his back and jumped off his shoulder, hitting the ball in the process.

"Is that even allowed?" Sakura held the fence in her hands. Karin looked up. "I don't think there's anything that says so…"

"And what's this called?" Naomi looked up at Inui. The teen pushed up his glasses. "I actually don't—"

"How's that? That's our ultimate shot: the Thunderbolt!" Kiriyama flexed his muscles and laughed.

"It's the Thunderbolt," Inui coughed awkwardly. The Seigaku team merely snickered.

But on the court, this was no laughing matter and everyone soon began to realize this. The Seigaku Golden Pair was getting pushed hard. The Thunderbolt kept stealing points and incredibly fast returns kept getting them by surprise. It was down to three games to zero.

"This isn't good," Fuji said, his eyes opening sharply. Rin looked up from her sitting position on the floor. "Hmm? What's not good?"

"Oishi has an injured wrist," Fuji explained. "And those strong returns are taking a toll on him now."

"Does it hurt?" Kikumaru asked his partner in concern. Oishi was taken by surprise with the question, but he smiled. "Don't worry Eiji, I can still play!"

"Let's beat these guys then," Kikumaru smirked and patted his shoulder. Oishi nodded.

Now on the court, Oishi took his position to serve. However, instead of making a full serve, he made a soft underhand serve. Kiriyama laughed loudly at this and ran over to it and returned it with full force. But it hit out. For the next serve, Oota decided to move forward, suspecting another underhand serve. However, Oishi saw through this and made a serve with a Spin Serve, which made the ball shoot upwards and over the short player.

They came to realize Kiriyama couldn't stand slow shots and they even tricked Oota into moving back when Oishi was really going to do an underhand serve. Nevertheless, what Fuji had stated earlier was become evident. Oishi's wrist was practically at its limit; especially since it's been withstanding countless powerful returns.

Seeing this, they decided to use their secret weapon: the new I-Formation. With Kikumaru so close to the net, the Jyousei Shounan pair couldn't decide where to return. Every shot, Kikumaru would return swiftly, earning cheers from the Seigaku side.

The cheers abruptly stopped when Oishi winced and dropped his racquet in pain. Hanamura saw this and snapped her fingers, signaling her students to target Oishi. They were hesitant, but they did as they were told. They began returning at Oishi and he kept missing his shots. Kikumaru however, began to take all his returns, being on the offensive while Oishi remained on defense. With this effective strategy, they began to get an advantage over the once thought to be impossible. And finally, to wrap it up, Oishi frowned determinedly as the ball came towards him.

_I made a promise to you Tezuka_, he thought. _And I won't be breaking it now!_

Taking the famous stance, Oishi dragged his racquet and made his Moon Volley. Attempting to return it, the Jyousei Shounan pair used their Thunderbolt move and it shocked everyone when not even Oota's jump could reach the Moon Volley. The ball landed just before the baseline, finally ending the game.

"Game and match, Seigaku! 7 games to 6!"

"Hell yeah!" Karin jumped up and down. Sakura and Rin jumped around with her excitably while Naomi sighed with a soft smile. "I guess miracles do happen…"

Now that the doubles portion of the tournament was over, now came the singles: singles 3 to be exact.

"It's finally Karin's turn!" Rin said in excitement. Sakura smirked. "Kick that punk's ass; we're counting on you!"

"Don't stress her out," Naomi said in Karin defense. Karin just laughed.


	66. The Pretender

"Karin-chan, it's your turn," Inui told her as he closed his notebook. Nodding, Karin touched her toes and stretched her arms in the air. Naomi walked over to her and handed her the smoke silver racquet. "Do your best, Karin,"

"Thanks," she smiled. She looked over at her other two friends who gave her a thumbs-up. However, Sakura was sitting on the floor with a sketchbook on her Indian-style crossed legs. Rin on the other hand, was standing but she held a digital camera in her hands.

"I'll take pictures of you, Karin," Rin smiled as she held the camera. "It'll be good practice!"

"And you'll be sketching me?" Karin raised her eyebrow at Sakura. Sakura looked up from her sketch and smirked. "Don't flatter yourself girl," she showed her the sketchbook which had a sketch of the previous doubles match, one half of the page showing Kikumaru jumping and on the other it showed the Jyousei Shounan pair doing their 'Thunderbolt'. Sakura continued, "Don't worry, I'm joking."

Karin laughed and made her way into the court. As she approached the net, she watched her opponent, Wakato Hiroshi, wave at his fangirls as he walked. Karin rolled her eyes as the girls screamed louder when he winked. _Is this gonna go on for the entire match?_ She thought.

He smirked as he stepped up in front of her. "So you're Namikaze Karin-chan?"

"Yeah," Karin nodded. He smiled and extended his hand out to shake. "I look forward to see what the ranked Number 1 player's daughter has in store for me,"

"You'll have to see for yourself," she shook his hand. As she did so, he smirked at her, "Well, now I have to decide who your opponent will be…"

"Huh?" Karin furrowed her eyebrows in confusion but the boy only smirked and dug his hand into his pocket, pulling out a white hat similar to hers. Upon pulling it out, he tossed it high in the air and cried, "CHANGE!"

Karin blinked as his fangirls followed along, "OVER!"

He caught the hat and placed it on backwards. Karin was surprised upon seeing that the expression in his eyes changed slightly but she paid no mind and walked towards the baseline. Atobe did the same thing last time; it's probably just to show off.

"One set match; Seigaku's Namikaze to serve!"

As Karin dribbled the ball, she narrowed her eyes as she watched Wakato sway from side to side, crouched unspeakably low. Shrugging, Karin tossed the ball into the air and made her famed American Twist Serve. However, she watched as the boy on the opposite court made a familiar stance and returned the ball swiftly. Surprised out of her mind, she ran over to the ball and returned it only for Wakato to hit the ball back while he ran. Karin returned again as she thought: _This form…who…?_

Wakato once again held out his arms widely and with a small hop, he returned the ball, stealing the point from Seigaku.

"Love-15,"

"Come on!" Wakato cried to the skies, earning more cheers from his fangirls. Her eyes wide as saucers, Karin couldn't believe it.

"No freakin' way!" she cried. The screams of the fangirls were suddenly silenced and Wakato stood up straight as he watched his opponent smile widely. "Hewitt! Lleyton Hewitt!" She laughed again and jogged back to the baseline, fishing out a ball from her pocket and dribbling it.

"Well, she's excited," Naomi pointed out.

Karin watched with a smile as Wakato wiped his face with his shirt then picked at his shoulders with his hand before returning to his low stance. She tossed the ball in the air and served him the Japanese Twist. He stepped back, breaking the angle of the serve and with a massive forehand, he returned it.

Karin returned the ball swiftly, her expression shining with glee. "No way!"

With a double-handed backhand, the boy took yet another point from her.

"Love-30!"

"Come on!" he cried again. Karin laughed hysterically at this. "You act exactly like him!" she made her way to the baseline. "He was just like that when I played against him!"

Ryuzaki never felt so happy when she saw shock written all over Hanamura's face. Smirking, her eyes met the latter's. "You should've told Wakato-kun to pick his opponents wisely; Karin is familiar with many tennis pros," Ryuzaki smirked.

Growling, Hanamura glanced at the court again as Wakato, yet again, stole another point.

"Love-40!"

"I can't get over it!" Karin jumped excitably around the court. "You're his copy! That's so cool!"

"She's way to excited," Sakura snickered. Rin laughed. "At least she's having fun!"

_If he can pull this off, then he's legit_, Karin thought to herself as she lobbed the ball to the baseline. Wakato looked back and began to run after the lob and with his back to the net, he returned it. With a smile, Karin purposely returned the ball towards the net.

"Game, Jyousei Shounan; 1 game to love!"

"Come on!" Wakato cried again.

Karin shook her head at this and sighed. He plays exactly like Hewitt. She remembers her father met up with him during an interview and brought her along. The Australian tennis player was incredibly loud-mouthed but sweet and agreed to play a match with the young Karin. Unfortunately, she didn't win, but she still remembers the man's 'come on!' and his antics.

"It's cool how you can randomly turn into Lleyton," Karin said as she returned to the baseline. Wakato eyed her suspiciously as he dribbled the ball. Karin smirked. "But I don't think he'll appreciate being mimicked like this."

Frowning, Wakato served. Karin ran over to the ball and returned it. With a double-handed backhand, he returns her shot but Wakato was surprised to see her running parallel to the net. She reached for a forehand, causing the pretender to move back but Karin spun and hit a drop shot.

"Love-15!"

Seigaku cheered happily. Karin laughed. "Hewitt's an aggressive baseliner, so he isn't a good serve and volley player,"

"Hmm," Wakato smirked and shrugged. "You're pretty good, Namikaze-chan…"

Wakato served and the two rallied endlessly. Wakato made sure to approach the net but Karin lobbed the ball. Wakato then hit the ball with his back to the net like last time, but just as he turned, Karin made a swift drop shot.

"Love-30!"

"Go Karin!" Sakura cried. Rin snapped a picture with her camera and looked at the preview on the screen.

"That's a good one, Rin-chan," Fuji complimented. Rin smiled. "Thanks."

Back on the court, Karin watched as Wakato raised his hand in the air and snapped his fingers. "CHANGE!"

"OVER!" his fangirls finished for him.

Karin watched as Wakato stood at the baseline ready to serve with one of her legs ahead of the other and his heel against the concrete. A broad grin was plastered onto his features as he held the ball and his racquet firmly in his hands. To serve, he swung his racquet around in a circle and made a swift serve.

Karin returned it and watched him run towards her shot and return it. She recognizes the style, but she can't quite put her finger on whose play style it belongs to. Karin returned the ball, only to be shocked when Wakato appeared at the net and smashed the ball onto her court.

"15-30!"

"Ah," Karin nodded. "Pistol Pete, right?"

"Good job, Namikaze-chan," Wakato smirked as he walked to the baseline. Karin rolled her eyes and walked back as well. Now she's in trouble. She's met him in person but she's never played Sampras. She only saw a brief match that Sampras played against someone on TV, but she didn't pay much attention so her memory is a bit fuzzy on that. Her knowledge on Sampras is limited, so she'll have to figure this out.

He served again. Karin returned the ball and dashed to the net. He did a serve and volley before, which means there's possibility that Sampras is an avid serve and volley player. However, Wakato stayed at the baseline and made a lob to the latter. Karin cussed under her breathe as she ran back. _He's an all-rounder apparently_, she thought bitterly. She thankfully caught up to it and hit a swift forehand. She gasped when she saw Wakato at the net hit her return softly. Karin dashed to the net once more but slid on the floor in her attempt to return it. As it flew in the air, Wakato made the finishing touch and smashed it onto her court.

"30 all!"

"Damn it, Karin!" Sakura gripped the fence. Her sketchbook was tossed aside, having drawn Karin hitting a serve but she dashed thick lines over it claiming it was a bad drawing. She tends to be a perfectionist.

"She's having a hard time," Inui pointed out. "I can tell she's not familiar with Pistol Pete's play style."

"She better get it together then," Naomi blinked when the referee called out, '40-30!', "But I believe in her; I think she'll figure it out."

"I sure hope so," Rin sighed.

Wakato jumped as he smashed the ball again. Karin clenched her teeth. She won't fall for the same thing twice; she returned it with a dual-handed forehand and dashed to the net. Wakato seemed surprised at this and didn't have time to react so he hit it softly. Karin saw this and hit a swift forehand past her opponent, hitting the baseline.

"Deuce!"

Seigaku cheered as Wakato growled and served again. Being persistent, Karin dashed towards the net again and returned his serve with a drop shot. He caught the drop shot however, but Karin saw through this and again, she hit a swift return to the baseline.

"Advantage Namikaze!"

They rallied again. This time Wakato smirked, thinking Karin would approach the net again but he was slapped with shock when he realized she was at the baseline, sporting a smirk the size of Russia.

_Damn it, she faked it_, he thought. But it was too late and he couldn't redirect his shot. He hit a high lob, which Karin returned with a smash to the corner of the court.

"Game Seigaku; 1 game to 1!"

"I don't know much about Sampras," Karin admitted as she swung her racquet over her shoulder. "But it's not hard to notice that Sampras likes to approach the net from time to time. It was tough I'll admit, but it's nothing I won't get used to,"

"My, my, I can't get through you with Sampras either…?" Wakato sighed heavily as he shook his head.

Karin raised an eyebrow as he held his arms out and cried, "CHANGE!"

"OVER!"

Karin rolled her eyes and served. He returned the shot in a very low stance but the groundstroke was powerful. Karin returned it, smirking. _I see who you are now…_

Wakato returned it with yet another powerful groundstroke, but was surprised when Karin returned the ball to the baseline. Wakato blinked with a frown as he saw Karin adjust her hat.

"Andre Agassi?" Karin pointed her racquet at him. "Switch now and save me some time."

"I was going too anyway," Wakato smirked. He held his hand out in the air and snapped his fingers. "CHANGE!"

"OVER!"

Everyone watched as Wakato let out a loud laugh and gave her a gleaming smile.

"He looks like a nice person now," Oishi pointed out. Inui nodded. "The expression on his face now looks genuine rather than arrogant."

Karin's eyes squinted as she watched the boy laugh again and point his racquet at her. "You know who I am now?" the twinkle in his eyes sparkled. "Na-mi-ka-ze-chan?"


	67. One Last Change Over

Karin watched as Wakato grinned and jogged over to the baseline. He tapped the tip of his shoes twice on the pavement, turned on his heel and he took off his hat and stuffed it into his pocket. He then dug his fingers into his orange hair and messed it up.

Karin frowned but tossed the ball in and served swiftly. Wakato laughed and ran over to the ball and returned the ball but just as he did so, he crossed his arms in front of him. Karin's eyes widened and she hit the ball to the opposite side of the court, only for Wakato to arrive there and do the opposite: start with crossed arms and open them as he hit the backhand. Karin missed the return and watched as Wakato raised his racquet in the air and laughed.

"That was for Mi-chi-ko!" he swung his racquet around in the air like a lasso as the referee said, "15 all!"

"He copied Namikaze-san," Inoue sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"But doesn't Namikaze-san copy moves like Karin-chan does?" Shiba asked as she lowered her camera. Inoue cupped his chin as he watched Wakato and Karin play on the court. "Yes, like Karin-chan, Namikaze-san has an inhuman ability to retain and copy moves and techniques. His ability is much more advanced than Karin-chan's but he doesn't go as far as to copy a whole play style like Wakato-kun."

"Namikaze rarely uses the moves he copies in the same tennis match unless it's necessary," Inui explained to the freshman. "And like any other player; Namikaze has habits like the way he hits the ball."

"I noticed how he returns the ball weirdly," Shiba looked through her camera roll. Inoue nodded. "It's not weird; it's just the way he's comfortable returning. Namikaze has never been an orthodox player to begin with."

"Game Jyousei Shounan! 1 game to 2!"

"Karin lost her service game?" Naomi said with wide eyes. Rin pouted. "I hope she's ok…"

Inoue blinked. "Here comes another habit,"

Wakato bounded the ball a few times on the floor before tossing it in the air. As he swung his racquet and served, he made a small jump and landed with his right foot on the court.

"Normally, right-handed players like Namikaze-san tend to land on their left foot rather than their right when they serve," Inoue pointed out. "That's a habit only Namikaze and another player named Boris Becker share."

"You're pretty good," Karin turned to Wakato as she let the ball whoosh past her deliberately.

"30-love!"

"You copy my dad really well; congratulations," Karin smiled. "The only thing you're missing is the weird shit he does when he's playing—but wait; that's right," she smirked, "You're not my dad."

Wakato frowned. At the fence, Sakura gasped. "Oh! He got dissed!"

"What is she talking about?" Shiba raised an eyebrow. Inoue chuckled. "Namikaze-san tends to do stupid things as he's playing but he never does the same thing twice,"

"Like what?" Shiba asked.

"Well, it's hard to say since he always does something new but during the U.S. Open finals about three years ago; he pretended to be a witch and put his racquet between his legs and "flew" around the court that way. He played the entire game like that."

"He won?" Shiba's eyes widened when Inoue chuckled. "That was the game that ranked him number one."

Wakato served the ball swiftly. Karin laughed and ran towards the ball and returned it. Wakato returned as well but Karin was at the net suddenly and made a swift drop shot. Wakato tried to reach the ball but he failed to do so; almost toppling over.

"Is this guy stupid?" Sakura held out her hand. "Why would he use Kaichi against Karin when it's obvious Karin knows her own father like the back of her hand?"

"It's more of a psychological thing," Inui explained. "It's not easy to go against your own father; the person you practically live under the shadow of since you play his sport," Inui glanced at Echizen, who tipped his hat over his eyes. "But it's obvious he doesn't know Karin-chan very well."

"Karin don't give a crap," Sakura laughed.

"Game Seigaku! 2 games to 2!"

"There's really no way to get to you is there?" Wakato sighed heavily as he fixed his hair. Another habit of Namikaze's is to purposely mess up his hair as he plays. Wakato then smirked and pulled his hat from his pocket and tossed it in the air. "CHANGE!"

"OVER!"

"Not again," Karin sighed and she dribbled the ball at the baseline. Wakato caught his hat and slipped it on. He then stretched his arms in the air and yawned but got into a ready position. He smiled. "Let's get this party started!"

"Oh hell no," Rin's mouth gaped. Sakura tossed her sketchbook aside and gripped the fence. "You gotta be kidding!"

Raising an eyebrow, Karin served swiftly. Wakato returned the ball just as it bounced.

"Super Rising," Fuji's eyes opened.

Karin caught up to the ball however and returned it to the opposite side of the court. However, Wakato ran parallel to the net, reached for a forehand but then spun and, switching his racquet, hit a drop shot.

Karin watched the ball softly roll on the court. Looking up, Karin saw Wakato grin. "Gotcha,"

At the coach's bench, Hanamura snickered, causing Ryuzaki to look over. "What's so funny?"

"Namikaze-san doesn't stand a chance against Wakato-kun now," she replied smugly. Hearing this, Ryuzaki let out her own snicker. Hanamura glared at her as the Seigaku coach eyed the smile forming on her student's face. "You should really put some more effort into researching your opponents."

"You're copying me?" Karin laughed hysterically as she jogged to the baseline and tossed the ball, serving the Japanese Twist. "Let's see what you got!"

The two played evenly; one would get a point, but then the other would steal it back.

"Is that really how I play tennis?" Karin cringed playfully as she returned the ball. "Damn, I'm ug-ly! What does Kuni see in me?"

"Game Seigaku! 5 games to 5!"

Karin sighed and took off her hat, tossing it to her coach. He snapped her fingers towards her team at the fence. "CHANGE!"

Wakato frowned angrily as the Seigaku team followed Karin's lead. "OVER!"

Ryuzaki tossed her the bright red cap, which Karin caught and slipped on. Her eyes shined as she smirked. Serving, the rallies were almost endless. Karin hit shots towards his feet and occasionally the baseline. Wakato would try to copy this, but all his attempts were futile as Karin would either hit it back or it would hit out.

"Karin-chan's precision is not something you can just copy," Inui explained. Everyone looked over at him as he explained. "Karin has practiced precision for about four years; without that constant practice, it's impossible to copy her at this state."

"Game and match Seigaku! 7 games to 6!"

"You really are good," Wakato shook Karin's hand at the baseline. Karin smiled. "Thanks; you're not a bad player yourself."

"Here you go," Naomi held up a bottle of Snapple as Karin exited the courts. Karin's eyes widened like saucers as she took it. "Thank you! I needed Snapple so bad!" she then pouted. "Kuni would always get me Snapple when I finished my match; I miss him so much!"


	68. Wasabi For Losers

Now it was time for Singles 2 to begin, Echizen Ryoma vs. Shinjou Reiji. Just those two standing on the court gave Seigaku an uneasy feeling; the height difference was incredible.

"I don't have much data on him," Inui admitted as he looked through his notebook. "Let's just hope Echizen can handle whatever comes from this guy."

"Don't worry; Ryo-chan will handle it," Karin waved her hand as she drank the last of her Snapple.

At the beginning, Echizen was winning easily. Shinjou didn't look to be such a tough opponent. Suddenly however, Echizen began to miss easy returns. It took a while for everyone to realize what exactly was going on.

"It's called Mirage," Inui explained. "Normally, to do a different serve such as a flat serve and a spin serve, you change your form but Shinjou isn't doing that."

"So he can't tell the difference between a hard serve and a soft serve," Rin said. Fuji nodded. "Precisely,"

Echizen kept playing but Shinjou was making it impossible to return the shots in. Nevertheless, the freshman was only getting more pumped up. However, the Mirage began to take on another level.

Kikumaru cringed suddenly. Oishi gasped. "What's wrong Eiji?"

Karin rubbed her eyes. "You see it too Eiji?"

"What?" Momo asked. Kikumaru pointed at the court. "He's turning a top spin into an under spin."

"That's impossible!" Momo cried. Inui shook his head. "It's all part of the Mirage; he not only uses it with his serves, but also with his returns."

Now, Echizen was serving. He served his Twist Serve but like everything, it was returned easily. But Echizen confused everyone when he began to return continuous spin shots and serves.

"Mada mada dane," Echizen smirked as he returned the ball. The ball whooshed past Shinjou, getting the point. "I see through your technique now."

"Alright Ryo-chan!" Karin threw her arms in the air. Inui pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Continuous spin shots are causing Shinjou's form to be slightly off and Echizen can see that."

"So it just becomes a regular return," Oishi finished and Inui nodded. "Yes."

"Game Seigaku! 3 games to 3!"

"You and your coach are both mada mada dane," Echizen said smugly.

Naomi suddenly jumped as her green eyes widened. Sensing this, Karin looked up at her from her seat on the floor. "What's wrong?"

"I think something in that Shinjou guy snapped," she said. Naomi wasn't far off from her prediction. Shinjou suddenly crossed his arms in front of him in an X formation.

"No Reiji!" Hanamura cried. "Don't use that move!"

Ryuzaki glanced over in surprise at Hanamura's sudden shout. Her cry fell on deaf ears however, and Shinjou served with tremendous power and Echizen tried to return it, but was thrown back onto the floor from the impact.

Inui explained that this move was called Deep Impulse. It hurts the opponent as seen with Echizen. However, normally in tennis, a player returns the ball to the opposite location of where his opponent is or let the opponent miss. Deep Impulse however, returns shots straight at the opponent, making them get scared, loose fighting spirit and loose.

"Game Jyousei Shounan! 4 games to 3!"

However, Echizen, with a hefty amount of cuts on his face, was doing anything but losing his fighting spirit. Doing a Stuttered Step, which allows him to get to the ball before it accelerates, he's able to counter the Deep Impulse. Then, Echizen, during the course of the game, he began to get the timing of the Deep Impulse to the point where it knocked Shinjou down like it did to him the first time.

"Does it hurt?" Echizen asked with a smirk.

Endless rallies came after that. It was an endurance match; Echizen kept perfecting the Deep Impulse's timing and even if Shinjou would throw in a Mirage, Echizen would see through it.

"I see the end already," Hanamura said sadly. "Congratulations on making it to the best four, Ryuzaki-sensei."

"Isn't it a little early to give up?" Ryuzaki asked in surprise. Hanamura shook her head. "It's always good to know when to end a match but I know this loss will make Reiji even stronger."

"Game and match Seigaku! 6 games to 4!"

Seigaku's side of the courts cheered wildly at the win. After the captain of Jyousei Shounan shook hands with Oishi and Fuji, the Seigaku team headed to Kawamura's Sushi Shop with the promise of all-you-can-eat sushi.

"Is everyone hungry?" Ryuzaki asked and earned cheers from the team. Smiling, she added, "Congratulations on making it to the best 4!"

"Wait!" Kawamura said, holding up a big bowl. "The losers have to eat wasabi sushi!"

"Wasabi?" Rin tilted her head in confusion. Fuji smiled and handed her a roll from his plate. "Try it."

Rin ate the roll just as Kaidoh and Inui passed out from eating the wasabi they were forced to eat by their teammates. Rin chewed and swallowed it. Karin grinned. "How is it?"

"It's not that bad!" she laughed. Naomi sighed. "Not even I can eat wasabi sushi."

"You're crazy, Rin!" Karin cried out.

**Extended Ending**

After all the craziness of the day, Karin finally went home, took a shower and sat at her computer desk with Tezuka on the screen. Karin's room was practically dark except for the lamp she had on the desk next to the computer. Tezuka's room on the other hand, was bright from the rays of sun the entered the open window.

"Where are your friends?" Tezuka asked. Normally, they come in and interrupt their conversation. Karin laughed. "They're downstairs watching a movie."

"Hnn," Tezuka nodded in understanding. Karin sighed and rested her head on her arms which were curled up on the desk. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something important, Kuni."

"What is it?" he asked, concern lacing his deep voice. Karin blew a lock of her brown hair from her face. "The guy I played today; he copied me at the end."

"Yes, you told me," Tezuka blinked. "What's wrong?"

"I saw myself playing and…" she trailed off. "It was boring."

"Boring?" Tezuka blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know; I was seeing myself and it was boring—it's not _me_," Karin emphasized. Tezuka's eyebrows ceased. "Karin, your play style's great the way it is."

"That's not it; my Royal Play is cool and all but it's just me running around and returning—there wasn't any…_pizzazz_."

"Pizzazz?"

"Yeah it's hard to explain," Karin pouted. Tezuka shrugged. "I don't think you should change anything, Karin. You're already unpredictable."

Karin's eyes widened as an idea formed in her head. "Kuni, that's it!"


	69. Beach Volleyball

The sound of the crashing waves and seagulls were relaxing as the Seigaku team stood under the blazing sun.

"This sucks nya~!" Kikumaru sighed heavily. "We came all the way here and we lost the hotel coupon!"

"We can't do that without the coupon," Kawamura said sadly. Inui stepped forward. "Running in the sand is the best way to exercise the legs and sea water is good for the body. This would be a good way to train for our match with Rokkaku."

"Hey! Stop it; what're you doing! What the hell!" Karin's voice cried out suddenly. The team looked over to see Sakura trying to force Karin out of her t-shirt while Rin stood not too far with her eye looking through her camera's lenses. Oishi's eyes widened as he walked over slowly and glanced at Naomi who watched the scene calmly.

"Ehh…what's going on?" Oishi asked gently. Naomi laughed. "Sakura and Rin and trying to get bikini pictures of Karin to send to Tezuka-san in Germany,"

"Yo, Rin; take a picture, quick!" Sakura cried as she struggled with Karin. Rin pouted. "I would but your ass is in the way!"

"Senpai!" the freshmen trio suddenly appeared looking incredibly frightened.

"What happened, did you find it?" Oishi asked. The freshemn shook their heads. "We looked everywhere; we didn't find it!" Horio bowed.

"We're sorry for this!" Kachiro bowed as well. Katsuo followed his friends' actions. "We take full responsibility!"

"It's alright you guys!" Karin fixed her shirt as she smiled at the trio. "You didn't do it on purpose."

"Hey!" a sudden voice called out. The Seigaku team looked over to see a man in a dark kimono wearing sunglasses and bandages wrapped around his face. "I understand you situation and I'd like to help!"

"Who's that creep?" Kaidoh hissed. Echizen's expression morphed into a shocked one at the realization of who this man was and Karin snickered, noticing as well. It was Echizen Nanjiro in disguise.

"You are…?" Oishi trailed off. He pointed to a store not too far away. "I'm the manager of that restaurant over there. We're running low on employees; if you can help me out, I can cover your hotel fee."

"I'll help!" Karin raised her hand and then took Echizen's and raised it up as well. "And Ryo-chan will help too!"

"That hurts, Karin-senpai…" he muttered irritably.

The Seigaku team now stood at the store in aprons serving up customers as they arrived.

"Wow, Taka-san, you know how to cook!" Momo said in awe. Taka-san laughed. "Well, I do own a sushi shop."

"Hey, where's Karin and the pipsqueak?" Sakura asked as she placed two sodas and a strawberry crushed ice on her tray. Oishi raised an eyebrow. "Actually, now that you mention it, I don't know…"

"So what brings you around here Nan-chan?" Karin asked as they stood outside the store. Echizen frowned. "So that's why you've been out of the house so often."

"I'm taking care of this restaurant for the summer," Nanjiro replied and blushed through the bandages as he watched the women in bikinis walk down the beach. "And there's hot bikini girls swarming this beach!"

"But why do you look like a mummy?" Karin inquired.

"I fell asleep while tanning so I'm hiding it with these bandages so it doesn't get irritated," he replied.

"Don't tell anyone you're my dad," Echizen said in a grumpy tone. Nanjiro leaned into his son's face. "Oh? And why's that you brat?"

"Because you embarrass me," he stated simply. Karin laughed as Nanjiro gasped in surprise. "How do I embarrass you?"

"In every way," Echizen said with a sigh. Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a loud crash in the building. Upon walking in, they saw an empty fridge and Momo and Kaidoh arguing as usual. Kawamura tried to stop them but Kikumaru tossed him a racquet to light a fire in him but he ended up destroying half the place.

"This is bad!" Oishi cried anxiously. Nanjiro examined the mess and sighed. "I guess I have no choice…we're gonna have to do something about this…"

"Like what?" Momo asked. Nanjiro turned and smirked.

"Everyone listen up and gather around!" Nanjiro announced into a megaphone. "If you can beat this pair in a volleyball match, you can eat for free at my place! If you win, you also get a Hawaiian vacation! Please challenge them!"

"So you've played before, Rin-chan?" Fuji asked as he balanced the volleyball in his hand. Rin nodded. "Yeah, I played last year in the U.S. for my school." They were the chosen pair to play in Nanjiro's makeshift volleyball match. Rin was a top candidate considering she knew how to play and then Fuji offered to play, claiming it looked like fun.

"Wait, what if we lose?" Kawamura asked. Nanjiro shrugged. "I don't know; let's just hope we don't."

"Hey, if we win we eat free right?" two guys walked over. Nanjiro nodded. "I never go back on my word."

"Alright then, we'll challenge them," the first man said. He took the volleyball and served. Rin dashed over and bumped the ball. "Fuji-kun!"

Fuji ran and spiked the ball over the net. The ball was incredibly fast and the guys missed it.

"Wow, good shot!" Rin grinned. Fuji laughed. "That was a lucky shot,"

Soon enough, the pair began to attract the attention of the civilians crowding the beach. The onlookers watched match and match and Nanjiro, taking advantage of the opportunity, he began to sell them drinks.

Suddenly, two guys, both father and son, showed up before them. The father smirked, exposing his golden tooth. "We'd like to challenge you two!"

"They're back huh?" Echizen muttered. Karin raised an eyebrow at him. "Who—them? Who're they?"

"Some guys I beat in tennis a few months ago," Echizen tipped his hat over his eyes. "Mada mada dane."

The father and son team served first. Fuji dashed and bumped the ball gently in the air. "Rin-chan!"

"I'm on it!" she replied and jumped, spiking the ball. The younger Sasabe missed the ball, making him growl in annoyance.

"Nice shot," Fuji high-fived her. Rin laughed. "Thanks!"

He served again. Fuji bumped the ball to Rin, she bumped it in the air and he jumped and spiked it, getting yet another point from the opponents. With Fuji and Rin prevailing the first game, now it was their turn to serve.

Fuji served the ball. The older Sasabe bumped in and his son spiked but it hit the net. As it was crossing to the Seigaku side, Rin jumped and spiked it properly towards the corner. The father reached to get it but missed.

"Out!" he called out. "That was out!"

"Liar! No it wasn't!" Karin cried.

Rin cocked her head in confusion. "That was out?"

"You're questioning my judgment, girl?" he asked with a smirk. Rin sighed and turned to Fuji. "Sorry Fuji-kun."

"It's ok, don't worry," he smiled cheerfully. He then served. The older Sasabe returned the ball at his son who spiked it over the net. However, Fuji happened to be at the right spot and bumped it for Rin to spike. However, just as she readied herself, the younger Sasabe chuckled and purposely kicked up sand, hitting Rin straight in the eyes.

The sting of the sand made her lurch forward on her knees and place her hands over her face. The ball landed into Seigaku's side but Fuji cared less as he dashed towards Rin and knelt by her, holding her shoulders. "Rin-chan, are you ok?"

"Sorry about that, I accidently kicked up sand," Sasabe said with a laugh. Fuji opened his sharp blue eyes, glaring at them with outmost anger. He then looked back down at Rin. "Can you stand?"

"Yeah—owie," she winced as she slowly stood.

"Assholes!" Karin and Sakura cried in union. Naomi glared at the father and son pair. "Yes they are."

Fuji's eyes sharpened as he served the ball. The older Sasabe returned and Rin, with red eyes from the sand, managed to return the ball with a weak bump due to her blurry vision.

"Easy, easy!" the younger Sasabe dashed over and spiked the ball as hard as he could. Suddenly, Fuji appeared out of nowhere and spinning his body and on one knee with his back to the net, he hit the ball high in the air, his arms held out. The ball landed just on the borderline of the opponent's side.

"What was that?" Naomi asked with wide eyes. Karin smiled. "Higuma Otoshi,"

"What the—" the older Sasabe growled as he glared at the Seigaku pair. Fuji patted Rin's shoulder, his eyebrows ceasing at the sight of her red and irritated eyes. "I'll take care of them from here Rin-chan."

Fuji served swiftly. The father and son pair shot it back with a spike, which led Fuji to once again reveal the Higuma Otoshi.

"Spikes are useless now," Inui stated. Kikumaru grinned. "Hoi hoi! Win this thing!"

"Ok, Fuji-kun, I'm ok now," Rin rubbed her left eye once more and flashed her amber eyes. He nodded. "Let's finish this."

It didn't take long after that to beat the Sasabe pair, Seigaku winning 15 points to 7. Suddenly however, the hotel coupon Seigaku had lost fell out of Sasabe senior's back pocket. Rin pointed. "Hey, isn't that the coupon?"

"That's so cheap! Aren't they supposed to be rich?" Horio cried out. The ticket began to be swept away by the wind and the freshmen went after it but it flew towards the horizon of the vast ocean out of sight.

"Damn, we still have to go back after everything…" Momo muttered. The Seigaku lot walked down the sidewalk in the city. Karin spotted a soda machine and stayed behind. She looked through the glass at the various options. "Is there Snapple?" she asked herself as she looked. She saw her favorite peach flavored Snapple and pulling a coin out of her pocket, she was just about to place it in the slot until suddenly, a frail-looking old man with a long beard appeared out of nowhere and their coins bumped into each other's. Karin's coin fell straight down but the old man's went flying onto the street.

Karin watched as the old man mindlessly walked onto the street and bent down to get the coin. However, as he did so, a truck neared his form and Karin dashed over wrapping her arms around his torso and pulled him back to the sidewalk, causing them to fall back onto the concrete.

"Karin-chan!" Oishi's voice was heard as he ran over with the team at his heels. Karin winced as she stood up and helped the old man up simultaneously. She sighed as she finally got up. "Hey, don't go on the street like that; it's dangerous."

The old man nodded but said nothing.

"What happened?" Kawamura asked.

"I saved him from being road-kill," Karin sighed heavily, pointing at the coin on the street. "He was going to get it back but a car was coming and I pulled him out of the way."

"Quick thinking, Karin-chan!" Kikumaru grinned.

"Hey!" a sudden voice cried. Everyone looked over to see a boy with a red jacket and a tennis bag bearing an annoyed look. "What are your intentions surrounding an old man like this?"

"Huh?" the Seigaku team let out in confusion. The boy flared. "You should be ashamed!"

"You're misunderstanding," Naomi stepped forward. "Karin saved the old man from a car when he was on the street getting his money," Naomi pointed at the street where the coin was.

Realizing he falsely accused them, the boy blinked. "Is this true, Oji?"

The old man nodded with a small smile. Blushing, the boy bowed continuously. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"It's ok," Karin laughed. As everyone laughed off the misunderstanding, a group of boys with the same uniform walked up behind the blushing boy.

"Saeki," Fuji let out, opening his eyes. The boy named Saeki widened his eyes. "Fuji."

"You know them Shusuke?" Karin blinked. Fuji nodded. "It's Rokkaku; our next opponent."

"So wait, you're Seigaku?" the boy from before pointed. His glance then fell on Echizen. "So you must be Echizen Ryoma!"

"Yes…" the freshman nodded slowly. The boy smiled gleefully. "I'm Kentaro Aoi and I'm a regular and a freshman just like you are! You really are amazing, Echizen-kun! It's an honor to finally meet you!"

Echizen looked surprised at this, but nodded in acknowledgement. The one named Saeki chuckled. "Well, it's been nice seeing you again Fuji but Kentaro," he called out, making the freshman look over. "We have to get back to our training."

"Of course, of course!" the energetic Kentaro nodded and turned back to Echizen. "I hope you can play Singles 3! That's where I'll be playing!"

With that, the Rokkaku team was off, leaving the Seigaku team semi-confused.

"Those people are weird," Karin laughed. Naomi smirked. "Look who's talking."

"Oishi-senpai," Echizen called out. Oishi blinked at looked down at the freshman, who had a flame ablaze in his eyes. "Place me in Singles 3."


	70. Dash Hadoukyu

"Now then everyone; if we win here, we go to the finals!" Oishi cheerfully said. "Let's play with all we've got!"

"Of course!" everyone replied with equal excitement. The day of the semifinals was here. The school they were going up against was none other than Rokkaku; the school they'd met previously when they were at the beach. Everyone was in high spirits and determined to climb the last step left to reach the finals—the destination they've worked so hard to reach.

Suddenly, loud and cheery voices were heard from across the park. Looking over, they saw none other than the Rokkaku team with their flashy red jackets. They were surrounded by small children, probably younger than Echizen.

"Why are those little kids all over them?" Karin laughed as she drank her Snapple. Fuji smiled. "They're next in line to be Rokkaku's regular team—it won't be surprising to see them go against our freshmen in the near future."

"Really?" the freshmen trio's eyes widened at hearing this. Oishi nodded. "Of course,"

Standing at the net, they stood before the Rokkaku team. One of the team members, named Itsuki, cocked his head and blinked.

"Why is there a girl on your team?" he asked. "Why is that guy wearing a bandana? Why is he wearing a bandage on his cheek? Why is he always smiling?"

"Well aren't we full of questions?" Karin laughed. Itsuki glanced at her. "Why are you the captain's girlfriend? Why isn't the captain here?"

"What...?" Karin laughed nervously.

"Alright, the game starts now," Ryuzaki told her team. "First to play: Doubles 2, Kawamura-Momoshiro. Show them Seigaku's strength."

"Leave it to us," Momo smirked. Taka-san only nodded timidly.

"Good luck out there!" Karin told them with a smile. However, a sudden beeping sound came from her form; making everyone glance over at her in confusion.

"Who's texting you?" Rin asked with wide eyes. Sakura smirked. "Ten bucks says it's Tezuka."

"It's Kuni," Karin said as she looked at her phone's screen. Sakura held out her arms. "What I tell you?"

"What does he say?" Oishi asked. Karin opened the message and laughed. "He says: 'don't let your guard down'."

"That's it?" Momo blinked.

"What else did you expect?" Inui chuckled. "This _is_ Tezuka after all."

Another beeping noise came from Karin's phone. Looking down, she smiled softly at reading the next message.

"What does he say now?" Kikumaru asked. Karin smiled. "P.S. _Ich liebe dich_."

"I love you in German," Naomi told them. As everyone cooed over this, Echizen sighed. "Mada mada dane…"

The game began and Kawamura and Momoshiro stepped onto the court along with the Rokkaku pair, Kurobane and David. David however, had a special detail to him and that was his incredibly long racquet.

"It's custom made," Inui explained, "Probably constructed by their coach."

The Seigaku team at the fence glanced at the frail-looking old man who sat on the bench.

"He didn't pay me back for that soda," Echizen muttered incoherently.

"One set match, Kurobane to serve!"

"Hey! Hey! C'mon! Burning!" Kawamura swung his racquet around, taunting his opponents. Kurobane raised an eyebrow at this and served swiftly. To everyone's surprise, the ball bounced and hit Kawamura right in the stomach, knocking him down from the blow.

"That had to be a powerful serve to knock a guy like Taka-san down," Karin raised her eyebrows in astonishment. Naomi looked over. "Is it really that powerful?"

Karin nodded. "He's using pronation; it's when you stretch out your arm when you hit the ball and then turns it inward as you serve."

_A power match? Dream on_, Momo thought and took his racquet with both hands. Taking a stance, he unleashed the ball with a powerful Jack Knife. David saw this and stretched out his arm. With his long racquet, he was sure to reach the ball but with the racquet's size, it would either break or deflect it. However, he surprised everyone when he hit the ball straight back with no issue whatsoever.

"Leave it to me!" Taka-san crouched down and took his racquet with both hands. Growling, he unleashed the Hadoukyu. The ball crashed onto Rokkaku's court but David astonishingly returned the heavy ball and took the point from Seigaku.

"30-love!"

"This is gonna be intense," Karin blinked in shock.

The matches were indeed intense. Everyone who watched was extremely tense as the doubles pairs shot one powerful shot after the other. It was surprising how the concrete under their feet hadn't cracked under the power.

"That guy looks like the guy from _Cowboy Bebop_," Karin said to lightened the mood. Naomi snickered. "You're right about that but aren't you a little old to be watching anime?"

"Aren't you a little young to be practicing kenjutsu like you're some kung fu master?" Karin smirked back. Naomi laughed. "Kung fu's Chinese and I'm surprised you got the kenjutsu part right; normally people call it samurai sword fighting."

"It's because I was watching _Samurai X_ last night," Karin grinned. Naomi sighed with a soft smirk. "Of course,"

"Game, Rokkaku! 1 game to love!"

The teams rallied back and forth endlessly. Rokkaku stole points from Seigaku continuously and it made Momo and Kawamura realize that using power was no good against their opponents.

"Game, Rokkaku! 5 games to love!"

"This isn't looking good, nya~," Kikumaru pouted.

Determined to win with their power tennis however, Kawamura and Momo rolled up their sleeves and gripped their racquets. _We aren't backing down_, they thought simultaneously.

Serving the ball with burning power, it crashed onto Rokkaku's court. They returned the ball, but were struck with shock upon seeing Momo approach the net and swing the Jack Knife, stealing the point from them.

"Game, Seigaku! Five games to one!"

"This just got interesting," Karin smiled. Seigaku began to make a comeback after this. David even picked up his hair, meaning that Seigaku wasn't as easy as he'd anticipated. Kawamura and Momo began to play mind games, tricking the Rokkaku pair.

"Game, Seigaku! Five games to three!"

"Momo has the ability to detect where a ball will land merely by watching the opponent's expressions and gestures," Inui explained. "However, he doesn't realize this himself but the day he does, he will be one scary player."

Karin smirked as she watched her teammates trick the Rokkaku pair. They were amazing.

Rallying, Momo watched the ball and glanced over at Taka-san. "Taka-san, use it now!"

Crouching as if he was going to dash a relay, Kawamura gripped his racquet and as the ball whooshed towards him, he ran towards it and hit it with outmost force. It caused David's racquet to blast out of his hand and get stuck on the fence behind the courts. After such a shot, Kawamura fell back gasping for air.

"Let's call it Dash Hadoukyu!" Kikumaru grinned as he cheered. Fuji chuckled. "Has a nice ring to it."

"Game and match, Seigaku! 7 games to 6!"


	71. The Dream Pair

"Now, next up is Doubles 1," Ryuzaki said. She glanced at the chosen pair. "Kikumaru and Fuji!"

"Hoi hoi!" Kikumaru jumped happily. Fuji merely opened his eyes and smiled.

At the net, the doubles pair shook hands. Saeki turned to Fuji with a light smile. "Who would've thought we'd face each other in doubles today, huh?"

"Yeah," Fuji smiled. Saeki's eyes burned with a determined spark. "I might've lost to you in singles but I won't lose to you now."

"Let's see," Fuji smiled.

"One set match, Rokkaku's Itsuki to serve!"

Itsuki served swiftly. Kikumaru sprang into action and returned the ball and dashed to the net. Itsuki saw this and returned it with a lob. However, instead of Fuji returning that lob, Kikumaru went after it and returned it. Saeki shot the ball right back towards Kikumaru's side of the court but Fuji appeared out of nowhere and returned it, getting the point.

"Their combination is terrible," Sakura blinked. "And I don't even play tennis!"

"Well, at least they're doing better than I did when I played doubles," Karin pouted. Oishi stepped forward. "That's how they play doubles; they focus on their own play rather than the combination in order to further their own abilities. They trust each other completely and know each other's capabilities so there's no need to follow each other's lead."

"Ohhh," Rin nodded. "That's smart."

"Game Seigaku! 3 games to love!"

They won through the first three games, but little did they know, Saeki had a hidden secret. The look in his eyes said it all. And it was proven in the next game. After serving, Kikumaru naturally went towards the net. Saeki watched the red head do so and smirked. _He's going…_ he thought. _Right!_

Saeki returned the ball towards the left, causing it to whoosh past Kikumaru. This surprised him fully, but Kikumaru sighed and smiled meekly at Fuji. "Sorry about that…"

"Don't worry about it," Fuji laughed.

Saeki smirked as he pulled the same tricks on Kikumaru again and again.

"Game Rokkaku! 3 games to 1!"

Fuji caught on to what Saeki was doing and once Kikumaru went right and Saeki returned to the left, Fuji was already at the right spot and returned.

"I got this one, Fuji!" Kikumaru said. Fuji shook his head as he ran. "No, your movements are being read; I'll handle this."

Whenever the ball would whoosh past Kikumaru, Fuji was there to back him up. However, it was obvious that Saeki's sole target was the red head.

"If what you're saying is true," Naomi said just as Karin explained what Saeki was doing. "Then he must practice kendo; in kendo, you need to predict the opponent's movement and move before he does."

"You think so?" Sakura blinked. Naomi nodded. "Of course I know; I practice it."

Kikumaru figured that trying to feint his movements would work on his opponent, but Saeki still managed to trick him. When you feint, you don't use your muscles, therefore Saeki knew when it was a ploy or not. Nonetheless, Fuji kept taking the shots for him when he missed.

"Nya~," Kikumaru smiled. "There's no other choice…I'm going to have to use that."

"Thought of something?" Fuji asked. The red head smirked. "Well, I don't know unless I try it!"

The two pairs rallied. Saeki watched Kikumaru's movements carefully and smirked when he saw him heading towards the left. He shot the ball towards the right. However, he got the shock of his life when Kikumaru suddenly appeared at the right. The energetic acrobatic player hit the ball back and stole the point.

"30 all!"

Saeki didn't understand and kept being amazed at seeing Kikumaru move in the initial direction, disappear and then reappear where Saeki had returned the ball. Finally, to finish it off, Fuji shot his famous Tsubame Gaeshi.

"Game, Seigaku! 4 games to 1!"

"How does he do that?" Momo asked with wide eyes. Karin smiled and tipped Echizen's hat over his eyes. "You see it, don't you, Ryo-chan?"

"That hurts, Karin-senpai…" he muttered. Karin laughed and explained, "Since Saeki's reading Eiji's movements; he goes right but then runs back to the left."

"That's impossible!" Momo frowned. Inui shook his head. "Actually, it's not if you're talking about Kikumaru. He made a new record for continuous sidesteps last year."

"I wish I could do that," Karin joked, but then ceased her eyebrows upon seeing Kikumaru out of breath at the bench. "But I think Eiji overexerted himself."

The game began again. Karin was right when she said Kikumaru overexerted himself. Using most of his stamina during the first half of the match, he was dead tired. When he served, Itsuki returned the ball towards him and he missed it completely. This revealed that the Rokkaku pair was aiming at the exhausted Kikumaru. However, Fuji made up for the shots his partner missed; which technically made it a 2-on-1 match. Taking all the returns, Fuji realized that it couldn't go on like this for very long so after returning the ball, he made a familiar stance.

"Here it comes," Karin grinned.

Saeki noticed this and turned to Itsuki. "Itt-chan!"

Itsuki already knew and he approached the ball and returned it. Fuji hit the Tsubame Gaeshi, but it bounced like any other return. Itsuki returned it quickly and got the point.

"30 all!"

"It…failed?" the freshmen trio blinked. Karin raised her eyebrows. "The ball didn't have a spin."

"Tsubame Gaeshi adds a slice to a top spin to add more spin to the ball," Inui explained. "However, like Karin-chan said, the ball lacks a top spin so if it doesn't spin, it won't work."

"It's called a 'Sinker'," Echizen said. Everyone watched in awe as Itsuki and Fuji rallied in the doubles alley. However, everyone was even more shocked when Fuji took his stance.

"Tsubame Gaeshi?" Oishi gripped the fence. With sharp eyes, Fuji's racquet connected with the Sinker, but he let the ball roll up on the racquet, adding the necessary spin himself then adding the slice.

"Shusuke's crazy," Karin laughed in shock. Fuji's eyebrows furrowed when he saw the Tsubame Gaeshi he created was hovering a bit over the ground since he added a makeshift spin to it. His eyes widened upon seeing Itsuki bend down and returned it. Luckily, it hit the net.

Fuji was persistent and hit Tsubame Gaeshi again. This time, he held his racquet vertically to add even more spin, then slicing it. Itsuki saw this and bent down to the ground even more and watched the ball carefully. This time, it made it over the net and stole the point.

"Love-15!"

The rallies seemed endless and like before, Itsuki and Fuji wouldn't move from their spots as they rallied. Fuji knew he had to add more spin to the ball, so he came up with a plan. As they rallied, Fuji returned the ball. Itsuki naturally hit the Sinker and seeing this; Fuji took his stance and hit the Tsubame Gaeshi. Itsuki bent down again but his eyes widened as he swung at air.

"It was perfect this time," Oishi gasped. Karin laughed. "He's such a smart cookie!"

"What did he do?" Kaidoh asked. Karin pointed at the net. "Look at the net; the last shot hit the net. He made Itsuki hit the net so it added a spin to the Sinker and using that, he made a perfect Tsubame Gaeshi."

"He's Seigaku's prodigy after all," Inui chuckled. Rin's eyes widened. "Wow…"

Sakura whistled. "You got that right,"

"40-15!"

Saeki watched Fuji carefully. Turning back to Itsuki, he spoke, "Itt-chan! Don't hit the net!"

The boy merely nodded and lobbed a Sinker into the air. Fuji smiled happily at this, which confused the Rokkaku pair. However, shock struck them full blast upon seeing Kikumaru jump into action and catch up to the ball. He smashed it in midair and smirked.

"Game and match, Seigaku! 6 games to 2!"

High-fiving each other, Kikumaru and Fuji smiled. Ryuzaki laughed. "Good job you two."


	72. A Match Between Freshmen

"Karin, you have to lay off the Snapple," Sakura laughed. Karin pouted. She was on her fifth Snapple. "Never,"

"When are you gonna play anyway?" Rin asked as singles 3 was announced to step onto the courts.

"Well, I'm in Singles 1 but I doubt I'm gonna get to play," Karin sighed. Sakura smirked. "Taking Tezuka's place are you?"

"Trust me; it's a lot of pressure being in Singles 1," Karin smiled at her comment. "But whatever; I hope I don't get to play today."

"That's weird for you to say," Naomi raised an eyebrow. Karin smiled. "I still have more practicing to do; besides, I count on my team to finish this in a straight victory."

Singles 3 began. From the start, it was obvious Kentaro and Echizen were complete opposites. Kentaro was extremely loud and jumpy; he was excited for the match. Echizen on the other hand, took the match as a business affair and was annoyed at his opponent's loud voice.

"One set match; Echizen to serve!"

Echizen bounced the ball on the court a few times before tossing it and serving his Twist Serve. Kentaro laughed as he returned the ball. Frowning, Karin noticed Kentaro's racquet was a hexagonal shape. Nothing that violates the rules obviously, but her acute vision also noticed that the stringing pattern was also hexagonal. Every time he would return a ball, no matter in what position he was or on what side of the court he was on, Kentaro would always manage to return the ball in the same exact spot. Echizen tried to improvise and hit a lob, but Kentaro jumped in the air. He caught the ball at the edge of the racquet; which led everyone to believe that it'll be out. However, it surprised everyone when he controlled the ball perfectly and smashed it into Echizen's court.

"Love-15!"

"So that's what it is," Inui mumbled as he watched Echizen and Kentaro rally. Momo glanced over. "What is?"

"His racquet is strung in a hexagonal pattern," he explains, "Which means that wherever the impact is, the racquet deforms differently making him return the ball with a hard hit no matter where the ball hits the racquet."

Kentaro suddenly lobbed the ball. Momo gripped the fence. "Alright, there's his chance!"

"No, he's just inviting Echizen," Inui pushed up his glasses.

Echizen took the bait, however, and slid on his feet. Jumping, he returned with his signature Drive B. His amber eyes widened when he saw Kentaro jump in the air and return his volley like it was nothing.

"Love-30!"

"The kid's good," Karin sipped at her Snapple. Oishi gulped. "Drive B was easily defeated…"

"But Echizen's getting more fired up," Momo smirked.

Momo was right. Echizen dribbled the ball with a wide smirk. He served swiftly. Kentaro returned with a jump, making his speed increase by his weight. However, Echizen hit a sudden drop volley. Kentaro caught up and return it swiftly. Echizen returned it towards the corner, making Kentaro do another jump to reach it. With a smirk, Echizen made another drop volley. This time however, Kentaro missed it and fell to the floor.

"15-30!"

"Ah, so close!" Kentaro laughed. The two then rallied back and forth. Echizen,m being his stubborn self, slid under the ball once more and hit Drive B. Kentaro smiled happily and jumped, smashing it like last time. His eyes widened when he suddenly say Echizen appear at the net and return the ball quickly under him while he was still in the air.

"Game, Seigaku! 3 games to 3!"

"That high jump backfired," Naomi laughed. Karin smiled. "He's really something to return it before he landed."

"You really are impressive, Echizen-kun!" Kentaro smiled. Echizen rolled his eyes and made his way to the baseline. "Thanks."

From there, rallies went on and on. Kentaro would make smashes and Echizen was there to return them all. Echizen would do the same; he would smash, but Kentaro would return them all. Hours went by and the two freshmen were still at it.

Karin yawned. "God, this is long as hell," Karin looked up at the orange sky. "The sun's going down…I don't think Ryo-chan's gonna be able to finish this."

"You think so?" Sakura raised an eyebrow. Karin stretched her arms up in the air. "Neither of them want to give up the points."

"Game, Rokkaku! 4 games to 4!"

Gasping for air, Echizen reached into his pocket and fished out a ball. Just as he was about to toss it, the referee stopped him.

"Hold it," the referee said. "Both coaches, please come here."

"Singles 3 will be delayed because of the sunset," the referee announced after speaking to the coaches. "The game will resume tomorrow at 9:30 a.m."

"Oh well, see you guys tomorrow again," Karin laughed as she swung her bag over her shoulder. Oishi smiled nervously. "I hope their fighting spirit remains the same…"

"It will trust me," Karin laughed. "It's Ryo-chan we're talking about here!"

That night, Karin sat at her computer with Tezuka on the screen.

"So they postponed the match for tomorrow?" Tezuka nodded. Karin laughed, "Or tonight in your case."

Tezuka gave her a small smile. "What was the score?"

"Four to four," she replied. Tezuka nodded. "By the way, how's your new style coming along?"

"Still needs a bit more practice so I hope Ryo-chan wraps it up tomorrow so I have more time," she said with a sigh. Tezuka nodded. "I wish you all the best of luck; I hate not being there for you guys."

"Don't worry about it," Karin grinned. "Just worry about healing your arm; we'll take care of the rest."

Tezuka nodded and smiled softly. Karin couldn't help but grin herself.

**o.O.o**

After dragging Karin out of bed, she and her friends arrived at the park where the match was supposed to continue. However, they soon ran into trouble when neither Echizen nor Kentaro were to be found. However, Sakuno and her friend, Tomo-chan, found them sleeping under a tree. Upon first glance, everyone already knew they'd been in the park since the sunrise and had played a light match.

"You sure you're alright?" Ryuzaki asked Echizen who sat next to her on the bench. The freshman nodded. "I'm fine."

"We will now resume Rokkaku vs. Seigaku Singles 3 with a game count of 4 to 4," the referee announced. "Seigaku's Echizen to serve!"

Echizen served swiftly and the rally began. Finding the perfect time, Echizen lobbed the ball high into the air. Kentaro saw this and jumped up to reach it, smashing faster than Echizen had anticipated.

"Love-15!"

Echizen lobbed it to the baseline again. Kentaro went for it and returned it, but was struck with shock when he saw Echizen at the net, hitting a soft drop shot.

"15 all!"

"You got me, Echizen-kun!" he laughed it off. Echizen merely rolled his eyes with a smirk. The two rallied back and forth. Because of this, none of them wanted to give up the point, so all you heard from the referee was 'deuce!'. However, Echizen was determined to win this, and tricked Kentaro by approaching the net. The freshman hit a lob and Echizen, smirking, smashed it and got the point.

"Game, Seigaku! 5 games to 4!"

Kentaro had another trick up his sleeve however, and began to make Echizen run back and forth through the court. Echizen was gasping for air. He was struggling and it was obvious. Despite this, Echizen is extremely determined to win this and began to use his own trick against him. He began to return to the corners, making Kentaro run around. He then slid on of the returns and hit his famed Drive B but with a lower stance. This way, the bounce would be lower and exploding with speed.

"Game and match, Seigaku! 6 games to 4!"

Seigaku erupted with cheers. Facing each other outside the courts, Rokkaku congratulated them.

"It was a total loss," Saeki smiled. "But you guys are good. Good luck in the finals."

"Thank you," Oishi nodded happily. Rokkau's coach suddenly appeared before them, holding a handful of candy in his trembling hand. "Here you go, candy,"

He gave each of the regulars a piece of the wrapped candy. When he got to Kaidoh however, he ran out. In annoyance, Kaidoh hissed. Everyone laughed when the old man imitated Kaidoh's hissing sound.

"It's off to the finals now," Karin grinned happily. Oishi nodded. "We can't let our guard down; we're going to bring the championship home!"


	73. Shaiza Just Got Real

"Ok, so you take that number and then you multiply it times the one in the question?" Karin asked. Tezuka nodded on the screen. "Yes, that's all you have to do."

"Wow, that was easy," Karin raised her eyebrows. Rin came into the webcam's field of vision. "I told you it was easy but you _had_ to overthink it!"

"It's not my fault, I can't help it!" Karin turned on her swivel chair and glared at her Canadian friend. "But you're good at math so this is easy shaiza for you!"

"Where'd you learn that?" Tezuka asked in surprise. Karin stuck her tongue at him. "Google translate."

"Karin, your stupid cat just sneezed on me!" Sakura made a disgusted groan as she let go of Jewel who scurried across the room. Karin turned to her. "I told you not to carry her."

"You guys are so loud," Naomi rolled her eyes. "How can you concentrate like this Karin?"

"Multitasking, I guess," the blue-eyed girl shrugged. Naomi sighed. "Well, I'm going out for a walk; I'll be back in a few."

"Be careful, Naomi; don't get raped!" Karin laughed. Sakura scoffed. "Please, she'll knock them unconscious with her samurai witchcraft."

"It's not witchcraft!" her voice was heard from downstairs. Karin laughed. Tezuka rolled his eyes. "Samurai witchcraft?"

"Yeah, we just say that to piss her off; her grandpa owns a martial arts dojo in Miami," Karin explained, "She's one of the senseis there; she's really good."

"She's a freakin' ninja!" Sakura poked her head into the webcam vision. Karin jumped. "Damn it Sakura; you scared me!"

**o.O.o**

The next day at school, Oishi announced that after practice, everyone was to go to Kawamura's Sushi Shop because Kawamura was treating us to an all-you-can-eat for making it to the finals. Upon getting there, the sushi bar was obviously reserved for the day just for them and they soon began to eat. Kawamura also happened to be the head chef, but his sushi was amazing.

As everyone chattered and ate, the doors to the bar suddenly opened revealing none other than Tachibana Ann, Fudomine's Tachibana's sister.

"Ann-chan!" Momo raised his hand. Kikumaru smirked. "So you invited her? Sneaky Momo…"

"It's not like that!" Momo cried. "Fudomine went against Rikkaidai so I wanted to know how it went!"

"At least a guy like you was using his head," Kaidoh sighed heavily. Momo frowned. "What was that, mamushi!"

"Are they always fighting?" Sakura asked. Karin nodded with a laugh. "It's normal."

"There's not much to tell," Ann looked down in sadness. Everyone looked over in surprise. Karin blinked. "What do you mean?"

"It was awful," she whispered. Oishi's eyes widened. "Awful?"

"I actually have footage of the match," Inui rummaged through his bag and pulled out a tape. "If you'd like, we can watch it now."

"Yeah, let's watch it," Karin said as she ate the last California roll on her plate. Inui nodded and plated the tape into the TV in the sushi bar. Everyone huddled up at the screen as Inui pressed play on the remote. On the screen, an ocean with palm trees appeared. Soon, a curvy and pretty girl came up and laughing, she waved her hand.

"Uhh…what the…" everyone looked back at Inui, who was blushing ferociously. Karin sighed. "At least she's wearing clothes…"

"Good one," Sakura laughed. Stammering, Inui fast-forward the video until a tennis court appeared. On the court was Kamio and Ibu playing doubles.

"Everyone on the team arrived in the best condition," Ann said and sighed. "But Rikkaidai…they're monsters…"

The Seigaku team's eyes widened as they turned to the screen. On the TV, a boy with a bowl haircut and closed eyes tossed the ball in the air and served. Kamio, with his super speed, was there in seconds. However, his return was intercepted by the other Rikkai player. He wore a navy blue hat and had a stoic expression. Just as he took his stance to return, Naomi stood suddenly.

"Stop the video!" she cried. Inui paused it quickly as the boy's racquet connected with the ball.

"What's eating you?" Karin asked as Naomi neared the TV screen, her eyes squinting. "Is that guy's name Sanada?"

Inui flipped through his green notebook before nodded. "Yes, Sanada Genichirou."

"You know him?" Karin asked in utter disbelief. Naomi nodded softly. "You remember last night when I told you I was going out for a walk? I passed by a tennis park and I saw him."

**The city of Tokyo was dusk as Naomi walked down the sidewalk. Passing by an empty park, she spotted a boy about her age playing tennis against a wall. Naomi's eyebrows furrowed as she watched the boy in casual tennis attire hit the ball continuously on the wall in the exact same spot. Watching his movements, she couldn't help but wonder where she's seen this guy's form from. **

**Suddenly, the boy made one final return to the wall and as the ball bounced back towards him, he hit it downwards with his racquet and caught it in his other hand. He turned swiftly, his amber eyes meeting Naomi's green ones.**

"**Can I help you?" his voice was stern and gruff. This guy looked like he's never laughed in his lifetime.**

**Naomi was surprised at this, but she kept her composure. "You form; it's familiar," she explained. "Do you practice kenjutsu or kendo by any chance?"**

"**I practice both, but it's a hobby," he said. "I'm surprised you picked up on that."**

"**I've practiced since I was very young," Naomi said. "I'm Akasaki Naomi, by the way."**

"**Sanada Genichirou," he replied. Naomi nodded and looked over at the bench where his tennis bag stood upright. His phone was on the bench and it was silently flashing a light. She pointed at it. "You're phone's ringing."**

**He said nothing as he walked over and flipped it open, placing it at his ear. "Yes?"**

**There was a pause before he nodded. "Alright, I'll be there."**

**He hung up the phone and put away his racquet before swinging the bag over his shoulder. "I have to go Akasaki-san; you should go home too—it's getting late," **

**Naomi nodded and watched him walk away on the sidewalk.**

"Whoa, so you met this guy and you didn't even tell us!" Sakura's jaw slacked. Naomi shrugged. "I didn't think it'd be such a big deal; besides, I didn't know he was from Rikkaidai."

Next up in the video, was Singles 3: Tachibana vs. Rikkai's Ace, Kirihara Akaya.

"Huh, it's him," Karin smiled. "He's that cutie pie that ended up at Seigaku!"

"Don't you dare call him cute!" Ann cried angrily as she stood. Karin's eyes widened. "Why—"

"Tachibana just twisted his ankle!" Momo pointed. Everyone looked at the screen to see Tachibana slowly rise from his knees. He put all his weight on his other foot to allow less pain to lash at him from his injured ankle. However, Kirihara was ruthless and pinpointed all his returns on Tachibana's injured foot, making him step on it to return his shots. The burden was getting heavy and it was visible on Tachibana's face.

"Game and match, Kirihara! 6 games to 1!"

With that, the video ended. Everyone sat in silence as it all sunk in. Inui, out of nervousness, spilled a cup of tea that sat on the table. "Ah, sorry," he said quickly and began to clean it up. Echizen smirked. "Even Inui-senpai gets disturbed. That's strange; you're usually telling others to calm down. I guess we should all tell you to calm—"

"You're unusually talkative today, Echizen," Inui raised an eyebrow. Echizen blushed in embarrassment at this.

"So where's Tachibana now?" Fuji asked. Ann sighed. "He's at the hospital with an injured ligament."

"I'm so sorry," Karin ceased her eyebrows. "Don't worry; I know what you're going through."

Ann only nodded softly.

"Taka-san," Oishi called out suddenly. Kawamura looked back as Oishi spoke, "I'm sorry, but could you make wasabi sushi for the team?"

"Huh? Why?" the team complained. Oishi's eyes burned with spirit. "For the finals, let's eat wasabi sushi as a promise to win!"

Placing the plate of wasabi on the table, everyone on the team took a roll. "God, the things I do for this team…" Karin smiled crookedly.

"To Rikkaidai for being an opponent worth facing," Oishi held out his roll. "Even if they're considered Tezuka-class players, we _won't_ lose!"

Everyone held up their rolls and then ate them. All of their faces began to cringe, except for Fuji's, who seemed to be enjoying the sushi. Their screams reached the skies as their throats burned from the spiciness.

"Damn, that's some spicy shaiza…" Karin stuck out her tongue. Sakura laughed. "You aren't going to let that shaiza thing go aren't you?"

"Not for now at least," Karin smiled. As the girls walked, they passed by a book shop that had a shelf outside exposing new magazines and books for sale. Rin looked over and frowned. "Hey guys, check this out."

"What's up?" Karin asked as they huddled around Rin who held a Monthly Pro Tennis magazine in her hand. They all gasped when they saw Karin on the front cover. They recognized it as a picture from the Jyousei Shounan matches; she had her racquet swung over her shoulder, her signature red hat on and smiling towards the camera. Edited next to her picture was a picture of Rikkai's Sanada, his usual stoic expression, arms crossed over his chest and navy blue hat on. Under their pictures was a golden-colored title: _Rikkai's Emperor vs. Seigaku's Empress! Who will win this final showdown?_

"You gotta be kidding," Karin took the magazine and eyed it. Sakura shrugged. "Looks like the dude's called the 'Emperor'; wait until your dad hears about this."

"Looks like this Sanada guy is my opponent whether I like it or not," Karin smirked as she placed the magazine back on the shelf. "Shaiza just got real."


	74. A Rainy Day

The dark grey clouds hung over Tokyo, making the atmosphere gloomy and dull. The heavy rain didn't seem to cease as the Seigaku team sat under a shelter. It was nice and sunny at the beginning of the day and all of the sudden, rain ruined the day of the finals.

"Do you think if it stops, we'll be able to play?" Karin asked as she drank her third Snapple.

"There is a 75% chance that the rain won't stop today," Inui said as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Kikumaru slumped onto the table where he sat. "This sucks nya~,"

"I wish they'd decide whether or not we're continuing faster," Momo sighed heavily.

"Let's just be patient," Oishi smiled. "Ryuzaki-sensei is talking to the tournament officials about the rain—I'm sure they'll make an announcement soon."

The Seigaku team sat in silence. Karin finished the last of her Snapple and sighed heavily.

"You drink that stuff like its water," Naomi blinked. Karin smiled at her comment. However, before she could reply to her, Karin noticed that her team members' glances were fixed on something in the rain. When Karin looked up, she watched as three boys walked closer to the team. The one in the middle was Sanada Genichirou. To his left was Rikkai's Ace, Kirihara Akaya, and to his right was the boy with the bowl cut which Inui said was Yanagi Renji.

"Rikkaidai…" Kaidoh hissed. Kirihara smirked. "That's us; and you're Seigaku, right?"

"No we're—" Sakura started, but Naomi cut in before she could finish her sarcastic remark. "Be quiet, Sakura," she snapped.

Sanada's eyes flashed onto Naomi's form. His eyebrows furrowed as he spoke, "Akasaki-san?"

"Sanada-san," Naomi replied matter-of-factly.

"I didn't know you were part of Seigaku," he said. Naomi raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were part of Rikkai,"

Sanada said nothing as he nodded. He turned to his teammates, "Let's go."

As the Rikkai team turned to leave, Sakura leaned over to Naomi with a smirk. "Spit that game, Naomi."

"What…?" Naomi looked over with squinted eyes. Sakura's smirk failed to cease. "With Sanada; he totally has the hots for you."

"True that," Karin smirked. Rin nodded. "Yup!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Naomi asked in an annoyed tone. Sakura laughed. "A guy like him doesn't remember a girl's name for shit—"

"For shaiza," Karin interrupted. Sakura pointed at her. "Yes," she continued. "He totally has the hots for you. You gotta spit that game."

"Shut the hell up, I barely know him," Naomi sighed. Karin shook her head and shrugged. "Whatever you say, Naomi…"

"It's been a while Seigaku," Kirihara's voice suddenly said as he stood before them. The boy smirked as he glanced at Fuji. "Fuji Shusuke, correct?"

Fuji said nothing as Kirihara chuckled. "Without Tezuka, you and the Empress are the only people in Seigaku worth having a match with,"

"What did you say?" Momo cried out as he clutched his racquet. Oishi held him back. "Momoshiro, stop it!"

"But of course, the Empress is not my opponent," Kirihara glanced at Karin. "I leave her to get crushed by Sanada-fukubuchou. I just hope you can at least defend yourself for the first half of your match with me."

Fuji frowned. "I don't know if we'll get to play today due to the rain; but let's have a good match."

"Whatever you say, Fuji-san," Kirihara waved his hand aloofly and smirked at Karin. "And say hi to your crippled boyfriend for me."

"Oh hell no!" Karin stood from her chair and reached for one of her empty Snapple bottles. Just as she swung her arm over her shoulder, Naomi held onto her wrist and Rin and Sakura held her by the torso.

"Calm down, girl!" Rin cried. Karin growled as she fought against her friends' grips.

"Kirihara," a deep voice suddenly called out. The Seigaku team looked up to see Sanada. His expression was stern as ever. "What are you doing; let's go and meet up with the rest of the team."

"Sorry, Sanada-san, I was just introducing myself," Kirihara smirked. With that, he turned and both of them began to walk away.

"Naomi, I'm so glad your boyfriend showed up; I was about to pop this Snapple bottle in his ass," Karin huffed as she sat down. Naomi jumped in surprise. "My _boyfriend_?"

"Yeah, he's your future boyfriend now," Rin laughed. Naomi sighed heavily. "What have I gotten myself into?"

"I hope you guys didn't get your hopes up," Ryuzaki suddenly appeared, holding an umbrella to block out the rain. "I just spoke to the tennis officials."

"What happened?" Oishi asked.

"The matches have been postponed for a week," she said calmly.

"Ehh?" Kikumaru cried in shock. Momo gasped. "No way! This little rain isn't a big deal!"

"It's the officials' decision, not mine," Ryuzaki glared at Momo.

At hearing the saddening news, the Seigaku team packed their stuff and began to walk out of the park. As they did so, Karin noticed that Echizen stopped walking and looked into the distance. Karin turned and raised an eyebrow. "Yo Ryo-chan, what's the matter?"

"I have to do something," Echizen said simply. Karin followed his glance, where in the distance, she heard faint racquet sounds. Karin smirked and pulled his hat over his eyes playfully. "Test him out for me; tell me if he's any good, 'kay?"

"What makes you say that, Karin-senpai?" he muttered as he fixed his hat. Karin smirked. "You and I both know what you're going to do; don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Karin smiled and turned, waving her hand at him. "Have fun, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," Echizen merely rolled his eyes.


	75. Special Training Camp

Sitting near a river bank after school, the Seigaku team relaxed under the setting sun. In reality, Oishi had urged them to meet up here because he and Ryuzaki were planning to tell them something. Karin's eyes were focused on the plane that lazily flew through the sky. She'd talked to Echizen before practice started; asking him how his secret match with Rikkai's Emperor went. Echizen said it went well, but his eyes flashed a gleam of disappointment and fear. Karin knew him far too well to know that Rikkaidai was no laughing matter. Her thoughts were interrupted however when Ryuzaki suddenly approached them.

"Ryuzaki-sensei, what happened?" Oishi asked as he stood. Ryuzaki nodded with a smile. "It's all ok,"

"Great!" Oishi gleamed and turned to the team. "Everyone, gather around!"

Once everyone did so, Oishi began, "Since the finals have been postponed for a week, Ryuzaki-sensei and I have decided to take advantage of this week and go to a special training camp for preparation against the finals against Rikkaidai."

"So no school for the whole week?" Karin raised her hand. Ryuzaki smiled. "Yes, but you'll be taking make-up classes afterwards."

"Oh shaiza," Karin pouted as the team laughed. Ryuzaki chuckled. "First thing in the morning at the station tomorrow; and don't be late!"

**o.O.o**

"Did you kiss Tezuka goodbye? You won't be able to call him anymore!" Sakura teased. Karin pouted and tossed her magazine at her. "Shut up!" she looked and Naomi and pointed at her. "Go bother Naomi about her boyfriend will ya?"

"I haven't said anything!" she cried in her defense.

They were all currently on the bus bound for the "special training camp" which happened to be a cottage that an acquaintance of Ryuzaki happens to own and let her borrow it for the week. That being said it's on top of a mountain therefore neither her phone nor computer get signal. Karin had told Tezuka of this the day before and he said it was for the best so she can concentrate on her training. Karin gave him a puppy-dog face and all he did was chuckle and told her she'd survive a week without him.

After the long trip, the Seigaku team's bus parked in front of the cottage, if it could be called a cottage. It looked as though it was built during the 1800s with run-down wood and windows. It felt as though it would crumble to the ground before their very eyes.

"What a heap of shaiza…" Karin muttered, which earned her a push from Naomi. "Stop being so rude,"

"It's true," Karin shrugged. Ryuzaki smacked her over the head. "Stop being so spoiled, all of you!" she cried. "We're not here on vacation!"

The place was nicely cleaned up thanks to Sakuno, her friend Tomo-chan and the freshmen trio. Looking over the fact that it was old and run down, the place was pretty cozy.

After changing into their tennis gear, everyone went out to the courts where they stood before Oishi and Ryuzaki.

"Alright, we'll start off by taking everyone's racquets," Oishi started. He pointed at a cardboard box as everyone gave him confused looks. "Place them in the box along with any other spare racquets you have."

Everyone hesitantly did as they were told. Once their racquets were locked up in the storage shack, they started off by running up the mountain on the side of the road.

"This sucks, we came all the way out here and we can't even play tennis?" Karin sighed heavily. Ryuzaki came up behind her with a megaphone. "Stop whining! Our objective is to defeat Rikkaidai!"

"And to do that we do basic training from scratch!" Oishi said.

With that, the team did a variety of basic training. After running up the mountain, they began to go up and down flights of stairs continuously. Then they did pull-ups on tree branches near the cottage. Then they went hopping over rocks in a river and ran back to where the trees were and did sit-ups with their legs hooked onto the tree branches (easier said than done). To finish it off, they went rock climbing.

"Geez, that was intense," Karin laid on the lush grass under the shade of a tree. Fuji stretched his arms in the air. "But it's worth it; we need to beat Rikkaidai under any circumstances."

"You got that right!" Momo sat up quickly. Ryuzaki suddenly walked over, clapping her hands to get their attention. "Everyone, break's over! We're going to run back to the cottage, let's go!"

Just as they arrived at their destination, they didn't even get a chance to stop jogging before Ryuzaki pulled out her megaphone again. "Everyone, enter the courts! Practice isn't over yet!"

Now on the courts, Ryuzaki stood on one side of the court with her racquet in her right hand and the ball in the other. "You ready Karin?"

"You bet!" Karin rolled her wrists as she stood on the opposite court. Ryuzaki served swiftly. Karin ran across the court and subconsciously reaching with her dominant hand, she caught the ball. She tossed it behind her just as Ryuzaki served the next ball. Karin ran to the opposite side of the court and caught the ball again.

"Nya~! We don't get to use our racquets," Kikumaru sighed heavily. Inui stepped forward. "This is a training method to strengthen our ability to pick up the balls. By catching them with your bare hands, your reach will increase by the length of the racquet."

Now dirty and tired from the harsh training, Seigaku's team gathered around. Ryuzaki smiled. "That's it for today everyone; go take a bath and get ready for dinner."

Now back in the cottage, Karin laughed as she entertained herself with the suds in the bathtub from the soap. Being a girl, she gets a bath all to herself.

"How was practice?" Sakura's voice said as the door to the bath opened. Karin looked over to see her friends standing at the doorway. They all wore white t-shirts and green shorts.

"I'm tired as hell," Karin laughed. "What's for dinner?"

"One of the freshmen made some curry; it's really good," Rin smiled. Karin nodded. "Cool because I'm starving; I'll be out in a minute."

Now at the dinner table, everyone was delighted at how good the food was. Horio dragged the cook, Katsuo, to the front and everyone thanked him for it. It made him blush but he thanked everyone.

"I've never slept on the floor before," Karin said as she sat on the Japanese style bedding.

"It's not that bad," Naomi said with a smile. Karin shrugged and glanced over at the room next door where loud, cheery noises were coming from. Karin slid open the doors and saw her team members having a pillow fight.

"Hey, you guys are having a pillow fight without me?" Karin's eyes sparkled and grabbed the nearest pillow and hurling it straight into Echizen's face.

"Karin-senpai!" he cried in surprise. Karin laughed and dodged a pillow thrown by Kikumaru. "Missed me Eiji!"

Meanwhile across the world in Munich, Germany, Tezuka entered his room and sighed heavily. He opened the curtains to let some sunlight into the room and looked out into the city. That being done, he sat at his computer chair and ran a finger over a stack of books on his desk. He picked out one he hasn't finished, _The Big Bad City_ by Ed McBain. Upon opening it, his eyes drifted upwards to a picture frame he had on his desk. He took it in his hand and studied it. It was the picture he and the team had taken on the mountain. Speaking of mountains, he wonders how they're doing over there; especially Karin. He'll be out of communication for a week which makes him somewhat uneasy. He told Karin she'll survive a week without him, but he forgot to think of himself when he made such a bold statement.


	76. Captain Yamato

"We were almost killed!" Momo cried as he slammed a fist on the table. It was early in the morning and Kaidoh, Momo and Echizen were sent out to buy milk from a nearby farm. On their way back, they encountered an angry cow and a man showed up, telling them that cows getting angry seeing the color red is nothing but a myth. Nonetheless, the three were chased by the cow after the man left.

"You guys are really dramatic," Karin laughed. "I bet it wasn't that bad."

"You don't understand, Karin-senpai," Momo ceased his eyebrows. "It was bad; just ask Echizen!"

The freshman didn't answer, he only sighed.

Suddenly, the door opened revealing Ryuzaki. "Listen up, everyone," she called out with a smile. "Today, I have a special coach to replace me."

"Special coach?" Oishi asked. Ryuzaki smiled and stepped aside, looking towards the hallway. "Come in."

A man walked in wearing an average polo shirt with a jacket over his shoulders and pants with sneakers. He wore a white headband and his eyes were invisible behind his dark, circular sunglasses.

"Nice to meet you all," he greeted with a grin.

"Hey, you're the guy that almost killed us!" Momo stood and pointed. Karin blinked. "That's him? He looks like John Lennon with a headband."

"Yamato-buchou!" all the Seigaku seniors stood from their chairs and bowed deeply in respect. The man chuckled. "It's 19 degrees Celsius outside; it's the best temperature for training."

"Yes!" they all replied.

Along with Momo, Kaidoh and Echizen, Karin was confused. However, the name 'Yamato' sounded familiar; very, oddly familiar.

"Wait a sec," Karin said aloud, making him look over at her. Karin furrowed her eyebrows. "Weren't you Seigaku's old captain?"

"Indeed I was," he nodded. "And you must be the Empress I've been hearing so much about."

"Yeah, Kuni talks a lot about you," Karin grinned. Yamato's grin failed to cease, but his eyebrows ceased in confusion. "Who?"

"She's talking about Tezuka-buchou," Kikumaru grinned. "Karin-chan's the buchou's girlfriend~!"

"Is she now?" Yamato chuckled as he met Karin's blue eyes again. "Never thought Tezuka-kun had it in him; you must be one special girl to catch his attention."

"It wasn't like that at first but you can say that, I guess," Karin laughed.

"Yamato-senpai, we'll arrange the courts now," the freshmen trio stepped up. Yamato smiled. "Hold on a moment; did you know that a pro tennis player spends about five years of his life playing as a pro? They'll play about 100 official and unofficial matches each year and the average junior high student will spend 1,000 hours of which 150 will be spent arranging the courts. 150 hours is equal to 9,000 minutes and you can make about 3,000 instant noodles with that."

"So you want us to make noodles?" Karin blinked in confusion. Yamato laughed. "You're funny, empress."

After his weird introduction, Yamato took the team out into the mountain to pick vegetation. Spotting a big field of ferns, Yamato's first choice was to pick them. Explaining that in order to pick ferns, you needed to use your forearm to slowly pull them out of the ground, everyone realized that it was a training exercise. Unfortunately, the eatable ferns are only the young ones who've just budded; they were too late. Because of this, Yamato turned to picking bamboo shoots.

As everyone picked bamboo shoots, Karin noticed that Echizen was sitting under a tree with his hat over his eyes. Setting the bamboo shoots she had in her hands to the ground, she walked over to him and poked his arm with the tip of his shoes.

"What're you doing, Ryo-chan?" Karin raised an eyebrow. Echizen looked up at her. "This is a waste of time, Karin-senpai."

"Stop being such a party pooper," she pouted. Suddenly, Yamato popped up from behind them. Grinning, he walked over to the side of the ledge. "There're so many bamboo shoots around here," he bent down to get the ones at the edge. "Better help ourselves—"

Karin and Echizen watched in shock as the ground under Yamato began to crumble, making him slide down the ledge. Without words, Echizen and Karin looked over the ledge to see if he was ok, but ended up sliding down too from the crumbling soil.

"You ok, Ryo-chan?" Karin stood and tossed him his hat. Echizen caught it and nodded. Sighing, Karin dusted her regulars' jersey and shorts.

"We're pretty unlucky," Yamato said as he walked over. "Looks like the ground isn't as strong as we thought it was. Let's raise our voices and call for help."

"Good idea," Karin said and, cupping her hands over her mouth, she took in a deep breath. Before she could speak, Echizen frowned. "Karin-senpai,"

"Huh, what?" Karin let out the air in her lungs. "What's up?"

"Don't call them…it's embarrassing," Echizen looked to the side, "to tell them we fell off the ledge."

"I admire your pride," Yamato told him. Karin raised an eyebrow. "So what do we do?"

"Let's return to the team quietly," Yamato smiled. "After all, quiet pride is connected to the soul."

"Alright then," Karin shrugged. With that, they began to walk through the brush of the forest. Yamato went ahead, swishing a tree branch in front of him.

"Why are you doing that?" Karin asked. Yamato turned. "It's to scare off the poisonous snakes of the jungle."

"This isn't a jungle," Echizen's eyebrow twitched. Yamato held out the tree branch dramatically. "It's all about atmosphere; we are survivors, so let's act like them!" He then began to lead the way again.

Karin snickered at this while Echizen only sighed heavily. After a few more minutes of hiking, the three 'survivors' approached a clear, crisp blue river.

"It looks like an ordinary river," Yamato began. "But it's actually a gift from God for us who have endured such heat and perspired a lot! A life-connecting spring!" He jumped into the river, which barely rose up to his knees, and turned to them. "We can still make it to the team; let's go."

"_Is this guy on crack or something?_" Karin leaned over to Echizen speaking her native language. Echizen shrugged. "_Maybe,_"

Now, sitting at the riverbank, Yamato prepared fishing rods out of branches, stating that their blood sugar is low and they need sustenance.

"For fishing, you need patience which is why it's a good strategy for resting and gathering food," Yamato said. Karin grinned widely. "You're like the sensei from _Karate Kid_," she made circular motions with her hands. "Wax on, wax off!"

"Karin-senpai…" Echizen called out. Karin looked over to see him pointing at her wiggling fishing rod. Karin's eyes widened. "Oh god, what do I do?"

"Imagine you're lobbing a ball," Yamato said calmly. Karin took the rod and raised her arm as if she was lobbing. At the end of the line was a fish. She laughed as she reeled it in. She pointed at Echizen's rod. "Looks like you got a bite, Ryo-chan!"

After catching a decent amount of fish, Yamato prepared a stack of dried branches and twigs to make a fire. He had Karin and Echizen find rocks so he could ignite the fire but the two sat there watching scrape the rocks together for a good ten minutes. He then realized it wasn't working and pulled out a box of matches, which confused Karin and Echizen to no end. He saw their expressions however, and chuckled.

"You save your best for last, isn't that right?" he said with a grin.

As he picked at the fire, Yamato asked them, "Are you afraid of Rikkaidai?"

Both of them looked over. Karin shrugged. "A bit, I mean—they look really tough."

"Rikkaidai Fuzoku is strong," Yamato nodded. "In theory, you can't win."

Karin and Echizen shared a glance before looking back at Yamato who smiled. "But theories aren't always correct, don't you agree?"

"Yamato-buchou!" Oishi's voice suddenly cried out. The three of them looked over to see Oishi and the whole team running over to them.

"Are you alright?" Oishi asked. Inui adjusted his glasses. "It's just like Yamato-buchou to notify us of your position using the smoke from the fire."

"You all arrived just in time," Yamato said cheerfully. "The fish are almost ready."

**o.O.o**

"The guy totally must've smoked something in the mountain if he was talking all that crap," Rin laughed. Karin laughed too as she sat with her friends in their room. Night had just fallen over the mountain and everyone was to go to bed soon.

"Yeah, I'm surprised someone like Tezuka looks up to a guy like him," Naomi smirked. Karin smiled softly. "Actually, the guy's really smart; I don't blame Kuni for looking up to him."

"You think so?" Sakura asked as she finished sketching a drawing of a meadow not far from the cottage. Karin nodded. "Yup; he has a way of getting everyday things and turning it into tennis-related stuff."

"So he's like the old guy from _Karate Kid_?" Rin blinked, hugging her pillow. Karin nodded as she laughed. "That's what I said!"


	77. Hyotei Appears

"Alright guys; all of you deserve your racquets back!" Rin said as she gestured at Naomi and Sakura laying down the cardboard box where all their racquets were.

"Whoa, for real?" Karin jumped up and down.

"Yeah, Ryuzaki-san told us to give them back to you saying that you'll need them for today's activity," Naomi said as she opened the box.

The week was almost over and their racquets were given back to them. The Seigaku team all rummaged through the cardboard box for their racquets and were surprised on how light they were.

"I see, Ryuzaki-sensei took our racquets away so we could see our progress when we got them back," Inui said as he balanced it on his palm. Karin swung it around. "God I wanna play so bad!"

"Where is Ryuzaki-sensei, anyway?" Oishi asked. Rin shrugged. "She went out since this morning, that's why she told us to give you your racquets back."

"So are we supposed to have practice matches?" Momo asked. Naomi shook her head. "She just told us to give them back to you; she said she would've been back by now."

"And I am," a sudden voice said. They all looked over at Ryuzaki who stood with a big grin on her face. "How do you like your racquets now?"

"It's amazing how much we've improved," Fuji smiled calmly. Ryuzaki nodded. "Now we'll test out how much you've all improved."

"We're gonna play?" Karin said excitably. Ryuzaki turned on her heel and gestured for them to follow. "Yes, but with some old friends."

"Huh?" the team cocked their heads. Karin glanced at her friends, who all shrugged with confusion. They all followed Ryuzaki to the front of the cottage where a big bus was parked. In front of the bus, was none other than the Hyotei Gakuen team.

"Hyotei?" Kikumaru's jaw slacked.

Atobe Keigo, the captain of the team, smirked. "The one and only,"

"Oh crap, it's that guy!" Sakura pointed. Atobe glanced at the girl and with the widest smirk; he casually strolled over to her and took her hand, gently kissing her knuckles.

"_Bonjour, Marie Antoinette; comment allez-vous après tout ce temps?_" he purred. Sakura snatched her hand from him and frowned.

"You know him, Sakura?" Karin asked with a blink. Atobe chuckled. "So your name is Sakura, ar~n? You failed to tell ore-sama that the day ore-sama met you," he smirked.

"Uh, what's going on?" Karin asked. Naomi sighed. "Long story short, the day we arrived in Japan, we ended up at his school instead of yours."

"I didn't forget about you, my dear," Atobe smirked. "Would you like to come to come up to my cottage? Ore-sama will treat you like the princess you are,"

"Yeah in your dreams, pretty boy," Sakura spat. Atobe flipped his hair. "Why thank you,"

"I'm surprised Hyotei's in a place like this," Kikumaru looked up in thought.

"We were having our own practice in my cottage and Tezuka happened to get a hold of me and asked if we could do some practice matches with you," Atobe crossed his arms over his chest.

"Kuni did?" Karin asked. Atobe nodded. "Yes, so let's not waste time; let's start." He snapped his fingers.

In no time, facing the courts, one of Atobe's maids prepared a table and opened an umbrella for him. The second maid adjusted his chair next to the table. As Atobe gracefully sat himself down on the chair, a butler approached him with a tray holding an orange tropical drink. Atobe crossed his legs and took the drink.

"If you lose to us here, you definitely won't beat Rikkaidai," Atobe stated. "I'll observe from here for a while."

"Who the hell does he think he is?" Sakura muttered. Karin snickered. "He's Atobe,"

"He swims in cash doesn't he?" Naomi asked and receiving a nod from Karin, she sighed. "It's obvious."

"He's so arrogant," Rin blinked with wide eyes. Sakura scoffed. "I hate guys like him," she, along with her friends glanced at him, only to find him staring directly at them with a wide smirk. Sakura cringed. "What a creep; why's he smirking like that?"

"Because he knows we're talking about him," Karin laughed. Naomi chuckled. "I don't think that's the only thing he's smirking about."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sakura glared at her. She raised her hands in innocence. "You tell me, I don't know."

Now, they were going to hold two singles matches at a time. They'll be one set matches without any tie-breaks so if the match reaches a score of 6 to 6, it's considered a tie. Lastly, Hyotei is to serve first for every game.

Now, Oishi held out a cup with various sticks bearing the name of each Hyotei player.

"Hoi, I guess I'll go first," Kikumaru pulled a stick and read the name. "Ka-ba-ji?"

Kikumaru looked around and saw Kabaji's huge form in the distance. He tensed. "Really…?"

Now, standing by the courts, Karin, her friends and the Seigaku team watched the two matches as they begun: Hiyoshi vs. Inui and Kabaji vs. Kikumaru. Karin smiled. She never thought Tezuka would be behind all this, he really is full of surprises. But just like Atobe said, if they lose to them here, they won't be able to defeat Rikkaidai so with a determined gleam in her eyes, Karin trusted her teammates fully; they'll definitely defeat Hyotei here.


	78. The Devil Wears Prada

The matches with Hyotei were going smoothly. Seigaku underestimated Hyotei however, because Hyotei, like them, have gotten better. Luckily, Seigaku prevailed again and again. Some ended in ties but just means that the opponents were of equal strength, which is a good thing.

Karin however, despite the fact she wanted to play, her mind was elsewhere. She strolled away from the courts and found a place that didn't have so many frogs crawling around to sit down on the grass. The clouds flew by lazily as the breeze swept her. Sighing, she hugged her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. She wished an airplane would fly by, to at least comfort her for a few minutes.

"Hey, how come you're over here like you're some kind of loner?" a voice called out. Karin turned her head to see none other than Sakura standing behind her with a playful smile.

"Eh, I don't know," Karin laughed and then looked back up at the sky. Sakura sighed and sat down next to her. "C'mon Karin, I know you better than anyone; it's about Tezuka right?"

"Yeah, kinda," Karin blushed at being caught. Sakura laughed. "Figures; but c'mon stop being so depressing!"

"I'm not being depressing," Karin laughed. "I just haven't talked to him in so many days."

Sakura nodded, and then let out a sigh. "You really want to talk to him, Karin?"

"Well yeah—if I could I would," Karin said with a shrug. Sakura nodded and brought herself up to her feet. "You're lucky I love you so much, girl,"

"Huh?" Karin managed to let out as she watched her longtime friend make her way towards the courts. Karin's eyes widened when she realized Sakura was walking directly towards where Atobe was sitting. He spotted her immediately and the smirk on his face widened. He leaned back on his chair smugly and got comfortable as Sakura approached him. He placed his drink on the table next to him and spoke first, probably teasing her. Sakura responded with a frown. Karin watched Atobe chuckle and say something else while gesturing at the table next to him with a wave of his hand. Sakura stood there for a mere second before nodding; Karin made out 'fine' from the movement of her lips. Atobe's smirk only got wider as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Sakura snatched it from him and turned on her heel to make her way back.

"Here, his number's the first one on the recent calls list," Sakura tossed Karin the slick and expensive-looking phone. Karin raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"I got you unlimited calling time if I go sit over there with the Devil Wears Prada and pretend like I care," she rolled her eyes as she pointed with her thumb. Karin laughed. "You're the best Sakura; I owe you big time!"

"Don't worry about it," Sakura smiled and turned to make her way back to where Atobe was. Karin giggled to herself as an annoyed-looking Sakura sat on the chair a maid pulled out for her.

Smiling, Karin flipped open the phone and saw that the wallpaper was the iconic Big Ben clock tower in London, England. She looked for the recent calls list and the first number on the list was the same one that pops up on her phone when Tezuka calls her. Bless Atobe and how rich he is; with this phone, you can call astronauts on the moon if you want to!

Karin pressed the call button and placed the phone at her ear. It took a few, long seconds for the other side to pick up.

"Hello?" a deep, groggy voice whispered from the other side. A smile spread on Karin's face at hearing his voice. "Kuni!"

"K-Karin?" he cleared his throat, his voice becoming clearer. "Is that you?"

"Why do you sound like that?" Karin laughed. Tezuka sighed. "It's four in the morning over here."

Right then and there, Karin remembered that there's a seven hour difference between them. She panicked. "Oh geez, Kuni! I totally forgot to check the time! I—"

"It's ok, Karin," Tezuka said. "If it's you, I don't care about the time."

Karin blushed as she smiled softly. "Sorry, I just really wanted to talk to you…"

"I understand," he said gently. "And where are you calling from? Aren't you still on the mountain?"

"Sakura made a deal with the devil and got me this phone to talk to you," Karin laughed. Tezuka seemed confused as he spoke, "The devil?"

"Atobe," Karin snickered. Tezuka chuckled. "Is he playing practice matches with the team?"

"Yeah, they're doing pretty good; I hear the guys cheering over there," Karin said.

"Have you played yet?" Tezuka asked. Karin shook her head. "No, not yet—hopefully I play soon; I haven't played in days!"

"I feel the exact same way," Tezuka sighed. "I haven't held a racquet since I arrived in Germany."

"That's terrible," Karin winced at the thought of it. "But the therapy is going good, right?"

"Yes, everything's going well, thankfully,"

"Have you tried any good old _Deutsch_ beer?" Karin teased. Tezuka chuckled. "Not yet."

"I miss you, Kuni," Karin pouted.

"I miss you too, Karin, but you need to stay strong; the finals are around the corner," Tezuka told her gently. Karin sighed. "I know…but still…"

"Don't be like that Karin," Tezuka told her, a hint of sadness in his tone.

"Sorry," Karin giggled. "Hit me with some German—go!"

"_Eins, zwei, drei, vier_," he said. Karin gasped. "Wow, Kuni, that's deep."

"It's one, two, three, and four in German," he chuckled. Karin laughed. "Really? It sounds like you asked me how my day was or something."

"That's: _wie war dein Tag?_" he said. Karin pouted playfully. "Stop acting like a smartass!" Karin smiled as she heard Tezuka's soft chuckle on the other side. She sighed heavily and petted the grass she sat on with her free hand. "I miss you Kuni; I really wanna see you again…"

"Me too, Karin; it's not the same without you," Tezuka said truthfully. "There's not a day that goes by that I wish I was there in Japan with you."

"Oh, Kuni…" Karin blushed.

"Playing tennis obviously," he added. Karin morphed an annoyed expression. "Way to kill the moment, you dork."

"It's a joke," Tezuka told her with a chuckle. Karin gasped. "No way! Kuni made a joke! Are we recording this?"

"Stop it," Tezuka sighed, but Karin could practically see his smile. A sudden uproar from the tennis courts caused Karin to turn her head. "Looks like Shusuke won his match,"

"You should go watch the matches; you'll probably be playing soon," Tezuka told her. Karin sighed but nodded. "Alright, I'll call you when I get back to Tokyo,"

"Please call at the proper time," Tezuka teased. Karin frowned. "Well you're a joker today, aren't you?"

Tezuka chuckled from the other end. "I'll be waiting for the call, Karin," he said softly, "_Ich liebe dich_."

Karin smiled at this. She had a comeback ready for him, "_Ich liebe dich auch_."

She could almost see his smile at the other end. Satisfied with her words, she brought the phone away from her ear and against her will, pressed the end button. She stood up on her feet and after dusting her shorts, she started to make her way back to where Atobe, and now Sakura, sat.

"Yeah, well, you remind me of Narcissus," Sakura raised an eyebrow with a bored expression as she sipped on a drink identical to Atobe's. On the other hand, Atobe gave her a smirk and flipped his hair. "I'm more handsome than he ever will be."

"Be careful you don't drown, you idiot," Sakura sighed. Karin approached them, making them both glance over at her. Karin smiled and handed Atobe his phone. "Having an interesting conversation, you two?"

"She thinks Narcissus is like me; that's not true," Atobe scoffed with a smirk. Karin raised an eyebrow. "Is that some Greek mythology stuff?"

"Yeah, I didn't think a guy like him would know Greek mythology; he looks like the regular dumb, snotty rich kid," Sakura jabbed. Karin laughed and waved her hand as she turned to walk away. "Don't kill each other, ok?"

Karin made her way to the courts. On the courts, she saw both Oshitari and Fuji at the net shaking hands. Fuji had a smile on his face and Oshitari as well, despite losing the match. As Fuji exited the courts, he looked down at his racquet, frowning at seeing the broken strings.

"Fuji-kun, the strings broke," Rin blinked as she observed them. He laughed and nodded. "I would've been in trouble if they'd broken sooner, don't you think?"

"Of course not, you still would've beaten him!" Rin exclaimed with a grin. Fuji only smiled back. Karin watched the scene with a smile just as Naomi walked over.

"When do you get to play?" she asked. Karin shrugged and eyed the court again. "Hopefully soon,"

"Game and match, Echizen! 7 games to 5!" Kikumaru cried happily from the umpire seat. Karin looked over at the freshman shake the third year's hand and casually walked off the court as if nothing happened. This annoyed Shishido, as is was obvious by his expression, but he brushed it off with a heavy sigh and followed him out.

The following games went by smoothly. The acrobatic Mukahi went up against Momo and Choutaro went against Taka-san. Taka-san used the Dash Hadoukyuu to return Choutaro's lightning-fast Scud Serve. However, the match was forfeited because Taka-san would've injured his hand if he continued. On the other hand, Momo won his match with his ridiculously named new move: "Super Great Momoshiro Special"; a smash that delayed the time of the bouncing.

"God, I hope you did enough talking with Tezuka," Sakura sighed as she walked over to her friends. Rin giggled. "Was he driving you crazy?"

"You have no idea; he should visit a proctologist to see if he can get his head out of his ass," Sakura rolled her hazel eyes. The girls snickered at her remark. Karin however, reached down and grabbed her racquet, swinging it over her shoulder. "Well, I'm not a proctologist but let's see if I can do something about that,"

"No way, you're playing him?" Rin's jaw slacked. Karin sighed. "Unfortunately,"

"Good luck," Naomi laughed. Karin nodded and made her way into the court. She played with her racquet's strings at the net as Atobe stood from his chair. A maid removed his Hyotei jersey and his butler handed him his racquet like a servant holding out a Knight's sword. Two maids opened the court gates and he strutted through.

"Well, well, Karin-chan," Atobe smirked. "I never thought we'd play a match."

"Neither did I," Karin smirked.

"Karin! Kick his ass!" Sakura cried from behind the fence. "The Devil Wears Prada ain't got shit on you!"

"I actually don't like _Prada_ that much," Atobe glanced at her in thought. "I prefer something simpler like _Dolce & Gabbana_ or _Burberry_."

"I think those are actually more expensive…" Naomi squinted while Sakura gripped the fence. "That was a rhetorical statement you freakin' disco ball!"

Atobe chuckled at this and glanced at Karin. "Anyways, just know that if you lose to me here; you won't beat Sanada."

"Let's see about that," Karin smirked. They both turned and began to walk towards the baseline. Just as Karin reached the line, she heard Atobe chuckle. "By the way, Karin-chan,"

She turned and saw his smirk. "I heard from Tezuka you've been working on something big; a king such as myself should have the honor of being the first to see this."

"Whatever; you brought it on yourself," Karin rolled her eyes with a smirk.


	79. Karin's New Style

At the referee chair, Oishi cleared his throat, "One set match, Hyotei to serve,"

"No. Karin-chan, you serve first," Atobe said suddenly with a smirk. "After all, it's ladies first."

"But the rule is that Hyotei serves first," Oishi insisted. Atobe however, rolled his eyes and ran a hand threw his silky hair. "Forget that. I'm the rule."

"Is he serious?" Rin's eyes narrowed. Sakura scoffed. "Karin better kick this guy's ass."

"I'm fine with it," Karin shrugged and fished out a ball from her pocket. Oishi wanted to protest, but seeing as he wouldn't change anything, he simply let them be. "One set match, Seigaku to serve."

With the racquet in her right hand, Karin calmly bounced the ball with her left. Atobe watched her do so and smirked. _The twist right off the bat ar~n?_ _What will it be? The Japanese? The American?_

Karin tossed the ball at a deep arch, which made Atobe wonder what serve she was going to reveal to him. Karin suddenly made a fast but extremely early swing, so the racquet swung just under the ball, barely touching it. However, this was no mistake. She followed through with it and while the ball dropped and her racquet's head was pointing to the ground, she made a swift drop shot making the ball land softly into Atobe's service box.

"15-love," Oishi said with his jaw slack.

Atobe watched the ball calmly roll on his court and then eyed the girl suspiciously. Karin however, grinned without a care in the world. "A king should see my new play style first, should he not?"

"What's she playing at?" Kikumaru's eyes widened. Inui flipped through his notebook. "Apparently, this is Karin-chan's new play style but what it is exactly I don't know."

"Not even Inui-senpai knows?" Momo raised an eyebrow. "This must be good."

"Ar~n?" Atobe chuckled. "You got me there, Karin-chan."

"That's the point," Karin dribbled another ball with her racquet. She then it upwards and served it. Atobe blinked but nonetheless went for the serve and returned. Karin sprang into action and hit the ball right back, surprisingly aiming it at the side of his shoe. He was startled by the sudden shot and staggered back.

"30-love,"

"Don't you need your red hat to do something like that?" Atobe teased as he kicked the ball aside with his foot. Karin shrugged. "I don't need it anymore."

She tossed the ball over her head and this time, served a perfect American Twist. Atobe returned it easily but Karin was at the net in the blink of an eye. Stretching her arm behind her back, she caught the ball with her racquet and returned it towards the opposite side of the court.

"40-love,"

"Is she copying Kikumaru-senpai?" Horio asked. Rin, who stood by him, shrugged. "Eh, she takes whatever looks fun."

"What do you mean?" Kikumaru asked. Inui spoke, "She told me she wanted to make her tennis style something that defines her; I now see what she meant."

"Which is…?" Momo asked impatiently. Inui nodded towards the match. "Just watch."

"Game, Seigaku; 1 game to love," Oishi called out. "Change court."

Once the two players switched, Atobe dribbled the ball and served. The two rallied for a short time before Karin saw an opening and smashed it towards the left. Atobe smirked at this and gripped his racquet with both hands and unleashed a powerful Jack Knife.

"15-love,"

"Be awed by the sight of my prowess," Atobe snapped his fingers. Karin snorted at this, which made him squint. "What is it?"

"That was out," Karin snickered. Atobe blinked and glanced quickly at Oishi, who shook his head. "That was in; I swear!"

Karin suddenly burst into laughter. "You should've seen the look on your face!" she crossed her arms over her belly as she laughed. "I'm joking!"

Atobe glared at the girl as she made her way to the baseline. Tezuka told him that she changed her play style and while Tezuka didn't tell him what it was, Atobe felt in his gut that something she's doing is indeed this new play style. As he played his service game, he used his insight to see what it is exactly but he can't pinpoint it; it's so random—it's impossible to isolate what she's doing.

"Game Atobe; 1 game to 1," Oishi announced.

"My prowess shines brighter than light itself," Atobe flipped his hair in the most flamboyant of ways and then added a charming wink towards Sakura, who glared at him.

"Dude, that butterfly's so colorful," Karin's head was turned to the side, eyes concentrated on said butterfly outside the court. Atobe frowned as she turned to him with a confused expression, "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Everyone snickered at this, which only served to make him even more annoyed. Nonetheless, he brushed it off and smirked. "It's your turn to serve, Karin-chan."

"Yeah I know," Karin grinned and fished out a ball. "I'm gonna get serious now so heads up, alright?"

He replied with a smirk. Karin smiled sweetly and let the ball drop from her hand. Just as it fell at knee-level, she swung her racquet behind her and between her legs. The serve was surprisingly fast but Atobe caught up to it. _Not even my insight can pick up what she's doing_, Atobe thought as he returned. _What exactly _is_ this_?

Karin, standing in the middle of the court, smirked and spun around hitting the ball with her racquet which was behind her back. She did this a few times consecutively and then hit it between her legs before finally making a swift drop shot.

"15-love,"

Karin served the Brazilian Twist Serve, but Atobe caught up to it and made a quick Rising Shot. Karin didn't expect this, so she dashed towards it and lobbed it.

"Here it comes," Fuji said softly.

Atobe saw this chance and jumped in the air. He looked down and aimed the smash towards her grip. Karin knew what was coming, but she had no time to react as the ball hit her grip and went flying behind her. The ball was lobbed back to Atobe from the impact but Karin had already thought of a way to return it in her current situation. There was a one in a million chance it would work, but she was confident it would.

She suddenly turned around and dashed for her racquet on the floor just as Atobe smashed the second lob. She heard where the ball bounced behind her and made an estimate on where it was as she grabbed her smoke silver racquet. With her amazing footwork, she spun around and her racquet awkwardly connected with the racquet face, missing the sweet spot by a few inches. Karin fell back from the sudden impact as the ball hit the edge of the net and miraculously fell to Atobe's court.

"30-love!"

"That was in?" Karin sat up and laughed. "I can't believe that actually worked! Yes!"

The Seigaku team cheered for the point. Atobe stood stunned as the ball calmly rolled to a halt. Only a handful of people have been able to return the Rondo Towards Destruction but no one has ever returned it in such a colorful way as Karin just did. Right then and there, Atobe realized why his insight couldn't pick up what her play style is—it's because there is none to begin with.

"This truly is a play style meant for her," Inui said calmly. "What she's doing is playing by instinct; she's being spontaneous and playing out of order—outside the box would be something more appropriate. She's playing for the fun of it and she's just being a tease."

"Then what's with all the trick shots?" Momo asked. Inui pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Karin-chan is naturally childish; she uses them as taunts and to trick the opponent for her amusement—this whole play style is just for her amusement. For example, when she told Atobe his Jack Knife was out when it really wasn't. She didn't say it to cheat, she just said it to one: annoy Atobe and two: for her own enjoyment."

"So basically what she's doing is just doing what she's best at," Sakura turned towards the team. "Being a random and crazy-ass player—just playing to tease and to have fun and do tricks."

"Check this out!" Karin held out a finger to Atobe and took a ball and hit it with her racquet high in the air. She watched it carefully and as it fell, she opened up her pocket and it fell right in. She then held out her arms, "Ta-dah!"

"See what I mean?" Sakura shrugged with a grin.

"So what should we call it?" Kikumaru looked up in thought. Fuji shrugged. "I don't think we should give it a name; after all, this is what Karin-chan's natural play style is—it just took her a while to figure it out."

"I guess you're right," Momo said and snickered as Karin spun her racquet on her fingers and Atobe waited impatiently for her serve. Naomi laughed. "Just know that from now on, Karin's matches are going to be very entertaining."


	80. Enter Rikkaidai

**A/N: I know it's been a while since I've updated and it's all because of the huge writer's block I've had on this story. I'm truly sorry for that but the story is continuing! Thank you all for your continued support! It really keeps me going! Please leave reviews and comments! It helps with the writer's block! **

**o.O.o**

"Game Seigaku! 6 games to 6!" Oishi called out. "It's a tie."

"I'm done," Karin stretched her arms in the air. Atobe chuckled. "Same here,"

Karin sighed heavily and walked up to the net. The two shook hands, where Karin smirked, "So am I to Sanada's level?"

Atobe looked up in thought before answering, "I can't really say since we didn't go into a tie break," he started. "But with whatever those crazy moves of yours are; I'm sure you'll confuse him as much as you confused me."

"Yeah, that's what I plan to do," Karin smiled.

Later that day as the sun set behind the horizon, the Hyotei team began to board their bus. Atobe was the last to board as he stood before the Seigaku team. "I wish you all the best of luck," he said with a smirk. "You better not lose; I'll never forgive you."

"We won't!" Momo cried, clenching his fists. Atobe chuckled at this. He then walked over to Sakura and took her hands in his and kissed her knuckles. "I'll see you soon, _mon amour_."

"Yeah, whatever," Sakura snatched her hands away. Atobe only chuckled and boarded the Hyotei bus, where they drove off; most likely back to Atobe's cottage.

The next morning, the Seigaku team boarded their own bus and began to drive back to Tokyo. Despite the fact that they didn't want to be there at first, they warmed up the place and actually felt sad that they had to leave. However, they all had the finals and Rikkaidai in their heads and they wanted to play against them and finally win the tournament.

"Good work on the training," Ryuzaki told her team as they stood before her. They'd just arrived in Tokyo. "The finals are tomorrow. Go home and rest well—you'll need it."

**o.O.o**

The day of the finals finally arrived. Karin and her friends met up with the Seigaku team at the park. Only two people were missing though which happened to be their Doubles 2 pair: Momo and Kaidoh.

"Well what do we do now?" Kikumaru asked. Oishi sighed heavily. "Wait and hope they show up—if not, we'll have to start with Taka-san and Arai."

"M-Me?" Arai stuttered as his face went white.

"Isn't that Rikkaidai over there?" Rin pointed. The Seigaku team looked over to where she'd pointed, only to see Rikkaidai sitting on some tables under a shady roof. Karin eyed them and smiled widely as an idea popped into her head.

"While we wait for Momo and Kaidoh to show up," Karin started. "I'm gonna go mess with them a little."

"What do you mean?" Oishi asked. Karin smirked and walked up to Inui. "Sadaharu-chan, do you have a map of Tokyo?"

"Yes," Inui rummaged through his bag and pulled out a folded up map. Karin took it and smiled at her team. "Watch this."

Seigaku watched as their female team member innocently skipped over to their opponents. Rikkaidai looked surprised that a Seigaku player was approaching them, but they remained silent as Karin spoke, "Hi there! I'm kinda lost," she held out the map. "Do you guys mind helping me find this place I need to go to?"

"You're already where you need to be," a dark-skinned boy whose name is Jackal, said as he raised an eyebrow. Karin however, ignored him and glanced at the only boy on the team with glasses, who happened to be Yagyuu. "You! You have glasses so that means you're smart!" she dashed over to him and opened up the ridiculously large map on his table. "Can you help me?"

"There's no need to; you're already here," he spoke softly. Karin pouted. "Never mind," she turned to the other boy sitting across from him who was Yanagi. "You look like you read the dictionary every night; can you help me?"

Yanagi got a strange look from his teammates, but he was curious to know what exactly the Empress was trying to do so he replied, "Yes, I'll help you. What do you need?"

"Ok, I need to get to this place called: 'We're-Gonna-Kick-Your-Ass Boulevard'; do you know where that is?" Karin gestured at her surroundings. "I know it's around here but I gotta make sure."

Karin saw Kirihara's jaw slack and everyone else's eyes widen considerably. As for Sanada, his scowl only got worse.

Karin smiled innocently. "Do you know where 'We're-Gonna-Kick-Your-Ass Boulevard' is?"

The Rikkaidai team was silent, except for Niou, who was chuckling. Karin, satisfied with their reactions, just laughed and folded up the map. "I'm just messing with you guys—see ya!" With that, she dashed back to her team, where Naomi shook her head with a smirk. "You're stupid you know that?"

"Maybe, but I loved their faces," Karin snickered.

Soon enough, Momo and Kaidoh arrived. After getting a well-earned scolding from Ryuzaki, the team arrived at the tennis courts where they're finally going to play against Rikkai. The first match to play was Kaidoh and Momoshiro vs. Kuwahara and Marui. The Rikkai pair was incredibly arrogant, refusing to take off their wrist weights when Momo told them to do so.

"What're you doing?" Sakura asked as she pulled out her sketchbook. Karin typed away on her phone before locking the phone; she wasn't going to send it just yet. "I'm texting Kuni; he told me to keep him up-to-date with the games and stuff but I'm gonna see how this ends up first."

"Isn't it late in Germany, though?" Rin asked as she ate a candy bar she most likely got from a vending machine.

"I don't think so…" she trailed off, placing her phone on her lap and using her fingers to count. "It should be around five in the morning over there."

"And he's awake?" Sakura frowned. Karin smiled. "Of course; Kuni's an early riser."

"Weirdo," she rolled her eyes. Karin pushed her playfully. "Shut up! At least I don't have Atobe on my ass!"

"Don't play with that," Sakura frowned.

The game started. The Seigaku pair started off strong; Momo served a fast one and while Marui managed to return it quite simply, Kaidoh returned it to the corner which made Jackal lob it. Momo then jumped into the air and hit a ground-stirring Dunk Smash. The first game was soon won by Seigaku and as they switched courts, Inui began to scribble on his notebook.

"When their opponents serve first, they usually lose about 92% of their games," he explained. "But in this case, their winning percentage is 100%."

"100%?" everyone gasped. Inui nodded. "From what I can see, they read their opponent's moves during the first game."

Inui was right about his statement. During Rikkai's service game, they pummeled Seigaku. Momo hit his famed Dunk Smash but was countered by Marui's Rising Shot. Kaidoh then went for his Boomerang Snake and even that was returned easily by Jackal—Rikkai's wall of defense.

"Game Rikkai! 1 game to 1!"

"I hope that guy swallows his gum and gets a stomachache so they have to forfeit," Karin pouted.

The continuous uproar of cheers that Rikkai's cheer squad amplified wasn't helping the Seigaku pair out in the slightest. However, it was obvious that they were holding back the skills they learned from their training in the mountain. Jackal served swiftly and Momo returned. Marui made a drop shot, but Kaidoh was there to return it. Jackal shot it back and Momo did the same. Purposely however, Marui hit a lob, luring Momo to use his Dunk Smash. Momo took the bait and jumped in the air, but hit his 'Super Great Momoshiro Special', which delayed the bounce of the ball and made Marui literally swing at air.

"Love-15!"

"He should really change that name," Kikumaru snickered. Karin laughed. "You got that right."

From there, Seigaku made a comeback. Along with Momoshiro's Super Dunk, Kaidoh revealed his Boomerang-Hadokyuu Snake, stunning everyone watching; not just Rikkaidai.

"Game Seigaku! 3 games to 2!"

"Alright; we're in the lead!" Kikumaru jumped up and down. Karin drank a bit of her Snapple as she smiled. "Hopefully it stays that way."

"I don't think so," Echizen suddenly said, eyeing the Rikkai pair. "Looks like they're finally getting serious,"

The Rikkai pair calmly slid their wrist weights off, signaling that they were finally serious about the match. This elated Momo to no end. However, Rikkai was obviously more advanced than they thought; Marui would serve at lightning speed and Jackal managed to return Momo's Special Dunk as if it were nothing. What really got them by surprise though was Marui's special move, according to Inui. Marui hits a swift drop shot but purposely hits the net. Then, the ball miraculously rolls over the net and lands on Seigaku's court.

"That's freakin' amazing!" Sakura's jaw slacked. Karin shared a similar expression. "That's badass!"

This move didn't frighten the Seigaku pair—it actually encouraged them. They awoke the fires within them and began to play at par with the Rikkai players; in terms of both speed and skills. They tied the games quickly, Momo using his Special Dunk Smash and Kaidoh using his Boomerang-Hadokyuu.

Despite their comeback, Rikkai began to push them back. Marui tricked them by hitting the ball at the pole and making it land into Seigaku's court. To add to the shock, Jackal baited Kaidoh to use the Boomerang Snake and then returned the Boomerang Snake with a _Boomerang Snake_. It didn't matter how mentally strong Kaidoh was; that sight shocked him to the point where he didn't move on the court and Momo had to take all the shots.

"Game Rikkaidai! 4 games to 4!"

Seeing how Momo was working so hard to return Rikkai's shots, even hurting his knee in the process, Kaidoh finally returned to his usual self—he even offered his bandana to Momo so he could wrap his knee. The game continued, with Kaidoh at the net while Momo served. As the games progressed, everyone realized why Kaidoh was so close to the net. He shot Short Snakes, which sealed Marui's volleys and caught Jackal off guard. It was amazing how they were playing at par with the Rikkai team, with even more power and speed then they exhibited.

"Game Seigaku! 5 games to 4!"

"Game Rikkaidai! 5 games to 5!"

Then, what everyone dreaded to hear was what was heard. Momo miscalculated his smash and it was out.

"Game and match, Rikkaidai! 7 games to 5!"

"Holy shaiza," Karin leaned back on her seat. "It's the first match and it's already this intense…" she couldn't help but trail her eyes over to Sanada's form sitting at the bench. _If doubles were this badass…imagine what this guy has in store for me…_


	81. Meanwhile In Germany

He was in the bathroom brushing his teeth when he heard the sound of his phone vibrating against the wood of his nightstand. With the toothbrush still in his mouth, he walked over to his phone which provided some light to the darkened room. The sun still hadn't shown itself over Munich, Germany.

Picking up the phone and flipping it open, he continued to brush his teeth with his left hand as he opened the text message. He read it silently:

_We're at the park already but Momo and Kaidoh were late (and it wasn't me this time!). They played against these two guys, Marui Bunta and Kuwahara Jackal. It was only doubles 2 and it was soooooooo freakin' intense! They won the first few but then Rikkai made a comeback and it was back and forth like that. Momo hurt his knee but he's fine and the Jackal guy returned Kaidoh's Boomerang Snake WITH Boomerang Snake and Marui made this tight-rope volley thingy with the ball and the net. He also hit the ball against the pole and it went into our court. It was crazy! I hate to say this but they lost 7 to 5; I'll hand it to them though, it was a REALLY good game. Now it's doubles 1 with the Golden Pair and these two guys: Masaharu Niou and Yagyuu Hiroshi. Hopefully they kick their asses! Anyways, I hope I didn't wake you but then again, you're a freak so guten tag or whatever it is! ;) :) ;D :D :O :-) :-P _

Tezuka couldn't help but snicker. He quickly texted her back:

_Alright, hopefully Oishi and Kikumaru win their match; text me with the outcome. I'm going jogging now so I probably won't answer you until I come back which will be in about an hour. Good luck to them._

He sent the message and placed the phone down before he walked back to the bathroom. Once he finished up, he walked back into his room and began to get dress to start his routine jogging. He slipped on a pair of sweatpants and threw on a t-shirt. Just as he was zipping up his jacket, another message came in:

_Ok, don't push yourself Kuni. Love you :)_

Tezuka text her back swiftly:

_Love you too._

With that, Tezuka tied his running shoes and walked out of his room. By the time he made it outside to the track, the sun's rays were just making their appearance over the German horizon. After he spent a few minutes stretching his legs, he began an evened pace. Jogging isn't really enforced on him, considering his injury is on his left arm, jogging early in the mornings has always been a habit of his—both in Japan and here in Germany. In Japan, he would rise early, drink some tea his grandfather would make (he would be awake at the time too) and he would be off. Tezuka would then come back and get ready for school. His trainers were actually surprised that he had such a habit and supported it all the way. However, despite it being a habit, Tezuka enjoyed it because of the connection he had with nature during this time. Tezuka's an outdoor person so he enjoys hearing the birds chirping their sweet melodies as the sun's orange rays shine over the bluing sky and he loves the feel of the morning breeze and the sound of the trees ruffling from said breeze.

He's come to realize however, that he isn't the only one with the habit of waking early and jogging. There are many patients that do what he does in the mornings. Some are Japanese, to his delight, but others are from different countries: France, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, and even from the United States. He tries to communicate as best he can whenever they speak to him. His limited English and his still-in-the-process-of-learning German doesn't get him very far but the people are very amiable and respect him when he manages to tell them his age (which of course they don't believe at first). He's made international friends with all sorts of backgrounds—he's truly thankful for being here.

After running the track about four times, he made his way back inside the rehab center. Upon entering his room, he checked his phone. There was a message from Karin sent about fifteen minutes ago. He opened it and read it:

_Ok, I'm seriously about to just explode on Rikkaidai right now. So these two guys ON THE FIRST GAME notice Eiji has habit of tilting his racquet in the opposite direction of where he's going so if he tilts the racquet to the right he's going left. But then—sit down for this shaiza—the Yagyuu guy decides to go Tiger Woods up in this joint and does this 'golf swing' that's fast as hell. So basically it was a mess because Eiji was getting mad about his habit and Oishi was trying to calm him down—Kaidoh and Momo behaved better than they did (and I'm not exaggerating). But then Eiji snapped out of it and they started to whoop Rikkai's ass soooo badly! It was awesome! But of course, Rikkaidai started to make a comeback and it was just back and forth for about thirty minutes. Tiger Woods was doing most of the work while the other guy just stood there tired as hell. It was deuce and the guy that isn't Tiger Woods snapped out of whatever it was and made a finishing shot. We lost 6 to 4. We lost again Kuni; I'm really scared. I hate to think that we worked so hard and we're just gonna to lose so easily to some freakin' idiots that wear tacky-ass jackets; they look like bumblebees, man. All hopes are on Sadaharu-chan; I can't imagine the pressure he must have on himself now; I'd hate to be him and I'm singles 1! I'm not even playing and I'm tense! I've drank like thirty Snapples already and Naomi's yelling at me because of it! I'm sorry Kuni! :'( :'( :'(_

Tezuka sighed heavily, placing the phone next to him as he took a moment to collect his thoughts. Two straight loses? If Inui doesn't win his match it's over. Everything they've all worked for, everything they've risked, everything they've sacrificed…just gone. He ran his hands through his hair before picking his phone up again and texting her back:

_Don't lose hope yet Karin. And Naomi's right; you should stop drinking Snapple so excessively. Besides, Inui is a good player. Who's he playing against? _

He sent the message and sat on his bed, twiddling his thumbs silently for a few minutes until he felt his phone vibrate again.

_Some bowl-headed douche called Yanagi Renji. _

Tezuka knew who he was; he was Inui's old doubles partner and his longtime rival. This was a big game for Inui; he doubted Inui would let this match go to waste. Tezuka knew he had a plan for Yanagi. He had all his confidence on Seigaku's No.1 stalker. He knows how Inui feels; having that weight on his shoulders. Inui's not singles 1 but having everyone's hopes on you when you play and playing against someone that can crush you like an ant—it's nerve-wrecking. Tezuka's felt that way before, especially when you stand above everyone else, when you have the weight of the win or loss on your shoulders: the pillar of support.

Tezuka let out a sigh. He picked up the phone again and texted back:

_Inui will win his match; I have all the confidence in the world that he will. Trust me Karin; he has a plan for Yanagi, just try to stay positive. You're the last person I want to be getting nervous. Promise me you'll stay positive and please lay off the Snapple for the rest of the day. I don't want you sick from all the iced tea you've drank._

He pressed send. As he began to take off his running shoes, another message came in:

_Ok Kuni, I promise I'll stay positive. And I'll lay off Snapple as soon as I finish these two lol jk :D _

He chuckled and sent her a simple 'ok' before placing the phone back on his nightstand. After he took off his clothing, he took a quick shower and got dressed, slipping his phone in his pocket before heading out. He made his way through the hallways until he arrived at the cafeteria, which served everyone breakfast, lunch and dinner at the appropriate times. Because of their international patients, they serve all kinds of foods from all over the world. Tezuka something new every day, his favorite so far being the breakfast of France which is _café au lait_ or hot chocolate, baguettes with any type of jam and croissants. But this morning, Tezuka felt somewhat homesick so he settled with a simple Japanese breakfast. It was nothing compared to his mother's cooking obviously, but it would do.

After he ate, he met up with his doctor who checked his vital signs. Finding everything fine, she checked his arm, poking him in different areas to see if there was anything that pained him. His elbow was still sensitive and his shoulder had stopped hurting since last week.

"Alright, everything seems to be in order," she smiled, a twinge of German laced into her Japanese. "You'll go with your regular exercises this morning and…" she trailed off when she noticed his eyes weren't focused and stern as they usually are. She tilted her head to the side. "Is something wrong, Kunimitsu-san?"

"My team is playing the finals today," Tezuka replied. She nodded quickly. "Oh right, you told me; are they winning?"

"Unfortunately we've lost two straight games," he sighed and stood up from his chair. "I'll go do the exercises now."

His red-headed doctor eyed him suspiciously as he walked out of the room, but shrugged. It took her a while to get used to his cold demeanor; she was just dying to see how he acted around his girlfriend. She'd seen a picture frame on his desk one morning and asked him who the girl was. She was delighted to see a softer look on his normally stern face when she mentioned her but he simply told her that the girl in the picture was his girlfriend and her name was Karin.

Tezuka pulled his phone from his pocket and flipped it open. No messages. He was eager to know what the outcome of Inui and Yanagi's match would be; but he'll just have to be patient.

He kept his mind away from the finals as he worked with his trainers, exercising and stretching his arm. He was truly thankful for being here; this rehabilitation center is the best of the best. By the time he gets out of here, he's going to be a brand new tennis player. When he got a break, Tezuka checked his phone. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw it was from Karin. He opened the message:

_Kuni! This game was freakin' awesome! You have no idea! Sadaharu-chan started off winning a few games but then the bowl-headed guy (which Rin calls Mandark because he looks like Mandark from Dexter's Laboratory) started to win the games back. But then Sadaharu-chan just snapped! He threw away his data and he started to play this wacko tennis. Basically it was back and forth from here and we were all losing hope when it was 5 to 4, Rikkai leading. But then—sit down for THIS—Sadaharu-chan did it all on purpose! He repeated everything that happened during a match they had when they were still doubles partners and on that 5 to 4 score was where they left off. He kicked Mandark's ass so bad! They went into a tie break and WE WON! I'M SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW! :D :D :D :D _

Tezuka couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. He knew Inui would win his match. He smiled softly as he texted her back:

_I told you Inui would win. We still have a chance Karin; tell Inui I congratulate him. And now it's singles 2. It's Fuji right? Who's he playing?_

He waited a few minutes before another message came in:

_Sadaharu-chan says thank you and yeah it's Shusuke and he's playing that cute guy that came into Seigaku that one time, remember? The day you got jealous and yelled at me for no reason?_

He frowned as a blush rose to his cheeks.

_Yes, I remember; his name's Kirihara; "Rikkai's Ace"._

Another message came in almost instantly:

_Yeah whatever, this seaweed head ain't got shaiza on us. We're gonna kick his ass and win this thing._

Tezuka rolled his eyes and replied:

_Don't forget about Sanada._

Tezuka gestured at his trainers to wait for a few seconds as he waited for Karin to reply. He was thankful she was quick to do so.

_I'll kick his ass to the curb don't worry. Anyways, the match is gonna start; I'll text you back when it ends. Have fun over there getting drunk and eating sausages or whatever it is you're doing over there! ;P_

Tezuka chuckled and replied:

_Ok, stay focused and don't get careless._


	82. The Deciding Match

"We will now start the singles 2 match between Seigaku and Rikkaidai," the female voice announced through the speakers. Karin sighed heavily and patted Fuji on the back. "Good luck, Shusuke."

"Don't worry Karin-chan; I won't lose," his eyes opened, meaning his was completely serious. Karin smiled and nodded. "I know you won't."

"Good luck, Shuske-kun," Rin grinned from her seat. Fuji smiled softly. "Thank you Rin-chan."

As Fuji walked out to the courts, Naomi raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you start calling Fuji-san by his first name?"

"Yeah, I was wondering that too," Karin glanced at her in thought. Rin shrugged with a smile. "He insisted."

After Fuji wrapped his racquet with some brand new grip tape, he approached Kirihara at the net, who blurted out that he could win the match in thirteen seconds or less. However, Fuji didn't seem at all alarmed by this and approached the baseline. He took a certain stance, his hair blowing from the calm breeze.

"Oh, he's gonna use it," Karin smirked. Kikumaru nodded. "You got that right."

Spinning the ball with his hand, Fuji let go of the ball and sliced it with an underhand. Kirihara went for the serve, but it disappeared from his sight, making him swing at air.

"15-love!"

"Disappearing Serve," Inui said. "It's sharper than ever before."

Fuji smiled happily as he served his special serve again. This time, Kirihara knew the directory of the ball—or at least he _thought _he knew. Kirihara ran for the ball as soon as Fuji served it but he swung at air again.

"30-love!"

"He can control the trajectory of the serve as well," Inui scribbled down notes. Karin laughed. "He's badass."

"Game Seigaku! 1 game to love!"

Kirihara, despite losing a love game, didn't wipe the smirk off his face. He readied himself to serve tossing it over his head and hitting it. It was incredibly fast, and when it landed into the service box, it spun a bit before shooting upwards.

"Twist serve?" Momo questioned.

Fuji frowned as he realized it was going directly to his face. However, Echizen's serve was much better than Kirihara's ever will be, so he returned it easily. They rallied back and forth until Kirihara hit a lob. Fuji saw this as a chance and jumped in the air. Just as he was about to smash it, the ball changed its course. Fuji then spun around and returned the ball swiftly, stealing the point as Kirihara stood frozen, shocked out of his mind.

"Love-15!"

Seigaku cheered for Fuji. However, Karin watched him play and noticed something was off about him. He normally doesn't take anything seriously, even if it was a match as important as this one. She brushed this aside though, because he was winning against Kirihara.

The two rallied endlessly. Fuji couldn't leave the baseline; Rikkai's Ace was pushing him back with deep returns. Fuji then lobbed the ball and the second year took the bait and smashed. Fuji then used his famed Higuma Otoshi. Kirihara attempted to return it but fell back in the process.

"Game Seigaku! 2 games to love!"

It had already hit the thirteen minute mark and Kirihara hadn't even managed to win one game. The referee approached Kirihara.

"Kirihara-san, can you continue?" he asked. The second year boy stood slowly and smirked as he turned his head towards Fuji, his eyes bloodshot.

"Oh my god," Karin's eyes widened, "Either that's normal or he smokes weed."

"Probably the second," Naomi frowned as Sakura and Rin snickered.

"I'm ok," Fuji told the referee. "I can continue."

The game started again. This time, when Fuji served his Disappearing Serve, Kirihara was able to return it since his speed dramatically increased. He ruthlessly attacked Fuji with intense returns. Karin gripped her shorts as she watched. That uneasy feeling washed over her again. Her eyes widened when she saw Kirihara lob the ball close to the net. Fuji unknowingly went for it.

_No, Shusuke,_ she thought as she watched him lob the ball. Kirihara smirked evilly as he returned the ball, aiming it right at his knee. Fuji yelped and fell from the impact.

"Love-15!"

"_What the hell!_" Rin cried out in English. "_That's not fair! He can't do that!_"

"Calm down Rin," Naomi took her shoulders and sat her back down. Karin gulped thickly as she loosened her fists, her palms bearing the half-moon marks of her nails.

The match continued. Fuji, like before, was being pushed back to the baseline and was running all over the court. Kirihara was probably doing this on purpose to put pressure on the already injured knee. Kirihara lobbed the ball again, making Fuji approach the net.

Karin frowned as Fuji hit the ball back, making Kirihara smash the ball on his knee again. This guy really knows how to play rough.

"Game Rikkaidai! 2 games to 1!"

Kirihara suddenly smirked wickedly and held the ball between his knuckles, squeezing it. Karin's eyes widened. "What the hell's he doing?"

"Knuckle serve," Inui muttered just as Kirihara tossed the ball and served. The ball landed into the service box and went straight for Fuji, hitting him square in the face. He fell back from the impact.

He refused to give up however, and the match continued once again. Kirihara refrained from using the Knuckle serve since he knew he'd get a warning if he kept hitting Fuji so he went with his first plan which was to make Fuji run around and put extra pressure on his knee. Smirking wickedly, Kirihara returned with a Twist Spin, making the ball change trajectory just as Fuji swung his racquet.

"30-love!"

Karin's eyes widened when she saw something in Fuji's eyes change. She couldn't help but smile.

"What's so funny?" Rin asked, shaking Karin. "He's getting his ass whooped out there!"

"Just watch," Karin laughed. "Shusuke's getting in the zone now."

Fuji watched closely as Kirihara served the Knuckle Serve again. He avoided it the first time, making the ball scratch at his wrist. However, for the next serve, he realized it always aimed for the face and he moved away and returned it easily. Kirihara kept smirking however, and returned with a Twist Spin, but Fuji took a stance, holding his racquet far behind him and sliced the ball. The ball dipped into Kirihara's court and glided over the concrete.

"Tsubame Gaeshi!" the freshmen trio cried out.

However, on the next game, Kirihara baited Fuji into using it again but just as the ball connected with his racquet, his knee lashed out in pain and made the ball hit the net.

"He missed…" Momo's eyes widened. Echizen frowned. "He must be in pain."

"Game Rikkaidai! 3 games to 2!"

The two rallied endlessly; it had everyone nervous, even Rikkaidai. They watched as Kirihara volleyed the ball, making Fuji approach the net. Lobbing the ball, Kirihara laughed evilly and smashed it, hitting Fuji square in the chest.

"Stand up, Fuji!" a voice said. Everyone looked over and saw none other than Tachibana standing behind the fence, a crutch under his arm for support. "If you lose this, Rikkaidai will win the championship! Show them your true strength!"

Kirihara frowned at this. He gripped the ball in his hand and hit the Knuckle serve. It was a fault, but the service box wasn't what he was aiming for. The ball shot up, past Fuji and towards Tachibana. From the shock, the injured captain fell back with a yelp. The ball was caught in the fence thankfully, but it left everyone surprised.

"Oops, sorry," Kirihara chuckled. "I didn't mean that!"

"This guy's should be on Japan's Next Top Asshole," Sakura muttered as she finished the sketch of Kirihara with devil horns. Karin frowned. "You got that right."

"Game Rikkaidai! 4 games to 2!"

Now, Fuji's expression changed. It changed completely. He was now dead serious. He used the Knuckle Serve against Kirihara; it was more for psychological reasons rather than to hurt him. Fuji also developed a left-footed split step to relieve pressure from his knee. He was pushing Kirihara back. He was making him run around like he'd done to him during the whole game. Kirihara was in utter shock as he returned all his shots. _Where did this all come from?_ He asked himself. _He's a whole different person!_

Fuji hit Kirihara in the knee suddenly. However, it was truly an accident. The second year ace stuttered backwards to dodge Fuji's attack and if he hadn't moved, the ball would've landed by his feet.

"Game Seigaku! 5 games to 4!"

From there, Fuji began taking points. Point after point and Kirihara was too frightened to return any of Fuji's shots. Kirihara frowned and clenched his teeth. He approached the net and volleyed the ball into Fuji's court. However, with that fire burning in his eyes, Fuji drew his racquet back and shot the ball just past Kirihara's face. Just as the redness of Kirihara's eyes disappeared, the ball landed at the baseline and came back, landing in Fuji's hand.

"Tennis must not be used as a tool to breed hatred," Fuji said to him.

"Game and match, Seigaku! 6 games to 4!"

Seigaku cheered for Fuji. The cheers could be heard from miles away. Fuji walked back to the bleachers, where Ryuzaki checked his knee.

"The bones seem to be fine," she said. "But you should go to the hospital for precaution."

"I'll go after the next match," Fuji smiled. "I wouldn't be able to face Tezuka if I miss this deciding match."

Karin sighed and looked up on the bleachers where Sanada stood, giving some sort of hand gesture to his team. His team members stood from their seats and approached Sanada who stood there alaong with Ryuzaki and Oishi.

"They're probably going to see Yukimura-san in surgery," Tachibana informed them. "He goes to the same hospital as me."

Karin stood and slipped her regular's jacket off, tossing it on the bench. She took her racquet out from her bag and twirled it around in her fingers before taking the grip in her hand. She reached into her pocket and tossed her phone to Naomi, who caught it in surprise.

"Tell Kuni I'm playing now," Karin adjusted her white cap on her head. Naomi nodded. "Alright, good luck Karin."

"Good luck!" everyone smiled at her. She beamed happily. "Thanks you guys,"

She began to walk into the courts. Her eyes drifted to the sky. There was no plane in sight unfortunately, but she did see the white line left by one. She smiled softly and brought her hand up to her chest, where the violet pendant lay under her Seigaku uniform shirt.

_I'm gonna win this no matter what. _


	83. Invisible Swing

"We will now start the singles 1 match between Seigaku and Rikkaidai," the announcement rung throughout the tennis park making onlookers flood the perimeter of the courts. Karin looked around, spotting a few familiar faces: Rokkaku was present with their ever so flashy red jackets, Jyousei Shounan was also watching alongside their coach, St. Rudolph was sitting at the bleachers with Seigaku and Fudomine and surprisingly, Hyotei was also present along with Atobe.

"We finally meet, Sanada-san," Karin smiled sweetly as the stern boy approached her at the net. He nodded once. "Indeed, Namikaze-san,"

Karin raised an eyebrow but took her racquet and placed the head on the floor. "Which?"

"Smooth," he said as she spun the racquet. The racquet came to a halt and fell. Karin pouted. "Aww, you get to serve first."

The boy said nothing and began to walk to the baseline. Karin picked up her racquet and made her way to the baseline as well. She spun the racquet on her fingers as she watched him pull a ball from his pocket.

"One set match; Rikkaidai's Sanada to serve,"

Karin smiled and readied herself for his serve however; she swayed from side to side as if she was dancing. Sanada raised an eyebrow at this but dribbled the ball before tossing it over his head and serving it with all his power.

Karin jumped into action and returned the serve swiftly. She blinked. _Damn this guy's already playing seriously? _

She watched him return the ball with equal power and she couldn't help but smirk. _Let's change that up, shall we?_

She watched the ball come into her court and bounce. She ran after it but surprised her onlookers when she ran _past_ it. She then returned the ball from between her legs, her back to the net. Karin heard the sound of the ball hit the tip of the net and she held her breath. However, she heard the ball bounce back onto the court.

"Love-15!"

She swiveled around to meet Sanada's dark scowl laced with confusion. She smiled and spun the racquet on her fingers as she made her way back to the baseline. Karin watched as Sanada served the ball again. She ran for it and returned it swiftly. However, Karin noticed Sanada took a peculiar stance, his arms held out vertically and his racquet up.

Then it was all a blur before her eyes. One minute he stood with his stance and suddenly, he looked as if he returned a ball. Karin's ears perked at the sound of the ball bouncing on her court and hitting the wall behind her.

"15 all!"

"What the hell?" Karin's eyes widened as she looked up at the referee, pointing her racquet at the baseline. "You _saw_ that?"

"Yes, it was in," the referee innocently nodded. Karin laughed heartily. "Because I didn't!"

Sanada watched the girl on the opposite court shrug, laugh and swing her racquet over her shoulder. She just lost a point to a move that she probably can't return and she's _laughing_—_hysterically_ laughing.

"Yo, serve already!" Karin swung her racquet in the air as she stood at the baseline. Sanada rolled his eyes and served again. Karin returned his serve and furrowed her eyebrows when she saw him take his stance again. The same thing happened—all she saw was his stance, no swing whatsoever, and then the finishing stance of a return.

"30-15!"

Karin groaned and slumped back to the baseline. Sanada served again. This time, Karin returned and watched him carefully. He took his stance and she somewhat managed to see his swing, but it was incredibly blurry. Despite this, she managed to predict where the ball was headed, so she headed to the right but her reaction time was too slow and the ball whooshed by just as she approached.

"40-15!"

Sanada served again and it was the same routine; it was like a broken record.

"Game Rikkaidai! 1 game to love!"

"Damn, she lost the first game already?" Sakura frowned. Rin blinked. "What's he even doing? It's like he's not swinging at all."

"I'm pretty sure she can see it," Echizen said suddenly, his eyes squinting. Kikumaru nodded as he rubbed his eyes. "Yeah but I see multiple racquets so it bothers my eyes."

"She's most likely having trouble spotting the point of impact," Inui explained. "You can normally determine the point of impact by the speed of the swing. With Sanada, the swing is so fast that you can't react quickly enough to where the ball is headed. With Karin-chan's vision, she should be able to recognize what he's doing but she's having problems with the point of impact so her timing is disrupted."

"So basically, it's so fast she can't see the ball," Naomi paraphrased, making Inui nod. "Bingo."

Karin fished a ball from her pocket and bounced it up and down with her racquet. She smirked and switched her racquet to her right hand while still bouncing the ball. Sanada saw this and his eyes narrowed. _So it's the American Twist?_ He thought to himself. _It shouldn't be much of a difference compared to Echizen's serve._

Sanada watched her dribble the ball briefly before tossing it over her head; a bit more behind her than the average toss. However, the ball in the air was never touched and he was surprised to hear the sound of a ball bouncing into his service box gently.

"15-love!"

Sanada frowned and glanced at Karin, who stood with a smile on her face and another ball softly bouncing behind her. She readied to serve again and alas, the same thing happened.

"30-love!"

_Oh I see what she's doing_, Sanada scowled.

"It's visual illusion really," Inui explained. "In any sport, they always tell you to 'keep your eye on the ball'. In tennis, it's the same so when she tosses the ball, you look at the one in the air but while you're in that stage, Karin-chan takes out another ball and makes an underhand serve while you're distracted with the one over her head."

Sanada knew this and crouched down. He wasn't about to get fooled again by some novelty trick and returned Karin's serve with a hefty smash.

"30-15!"

Karin sighed, seeing as her trick won't work anymore, and dropped the ball in front of her and served it between her legs. Although the serve was fast, Sanada returned it even faster.

"30 all!"

She went for another trick; the one she used on Atobe during their practice match. She tossed the ball and swung, but purposely missed it to hit a swift underhand serve. Sanada however, saw right through this and returned it lighting fast.

"30-40!"

Karin picked out another trick shot and tossed the ball, spun on her heel with the racquet behind her back and hit it. Like all the other times, Sanada returned it.

"Game, Rikkaidai! 2 games to love!"

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" Karin held out her arms. "Are you not surprised by any of it? I'm spinning around doing tricks and you're just returning like I'm not here having a hard time!"

"I don't have time to play around," Sanada sternly told her, only for Karin to roll her eyes. "When do you have time to play around, Sa-na-da?"

His brow furrowed at the splitting of his name, but he shook his head and returned to the baseline. He dribbled the ball and tossed it over his head, serving it heavily. Karin ran for it and returned. They both rallied for a short time before Sanada took his stance for his Invisible Swing. Karin had kept her guard up for this and watched his swing carefully. She managed to locate the impact and sprung for the ball. She managed to catch it in her racquet but it hit the net.

"15-love!"

"Oh shaiza," she groaned. "Almost had it,"

Sanada frowned. She _almost _returned it. He can't underestimate her.

The scores went by leisurely but kept everyone at the edge of their seats.

15-15

30-15

30-30

40-30

Sanada made his Invisible Swing once more and Karin saw it and reached for the ball, but the ball spiked the tip of her racquet and made it go flying out of her hand.

"Game Rikkaidai! 3 games to love!"

Taking a seat at the bench, Karin leaned back and sighed. Ryuzaki sat next to her. "Is Sanada-kun that good? You seem to be having quite a hard time out there."

"It's fine," Karin smiled widely upon seeing an airplane fly overhead, making a shadow form over the courts momentarily before fading behind a puffy white cloud. "I got this."

Ryuzaki watched her student smile as she watched the sky above her head and smiled softly. _Show them your true power, Karin._

Back on the court, Karin dribbled the ball. Sanada awaited her serve patiently. The girl smiled happily and holding out the ball in front of her, she spun it with her hand as she let go of it and then sliced it. Sanada was surprised she used a simple underhand serve but was taken aback when the ball glided over his court like Fuji's Tsubame Gaeshi.

"15-love!"

"The Estonian Twist Serve!" the freshmen trio cried out.

"I hope you enjoyed those three games," Karin pointed her racquet at him and smirked, "Because you aren't winning anymore."

Sanada's scowl seemed to get deeper and darker after each Estonian Twist she would serve. He tried to return it once; scraping his racquet against the concrete to no avail—the ball merely rolled on the floor.

"Game Seigaku! 3 games to 1!"

Seigaku cheered at the victory. Tossing the ball over his head, Sanada clenched his teeth. _Don't make me laugh!_

The serve was heavy like every other one of his serves, but Karin returned it. Sanada, fed up with how long this match was taking, swung his Invisible Swing. Karin expected as much and smirked. Gripping her racquet, she quickly approached the ball and gave it a hard swing this time, making it over the net.

"Love-15!"

The courts erupted with cheers once more, making Karin smile. "Let's get this party started!"

Meanwhile, in the hustle bustle of the city of Tokyo, a bright yellow taxi drove down the streets. Riding the taxi was a tall man, his hair canary blonde, his bangs swept back due to his sunglasses which were perched at the top of his head. His bright blue eyes scanned the city life outside the window, his arm thrown over the back of the seats. Next to him was a woman. She possessed long chocolate brown hair and soft brown eyes which showed she was a mild-tempered woman.

"Hey, you mind turning the radio on?" the man raised an eyebrow. The taxi man nodded happily. "Of course, Namikaze-san. Anything in particular?"

"The tennis station," he said almost without thought. The woman next to him, who happened to be his wife, smiled. "How do you think she's doing?"

"I'm pretty sure she's fine," Kaichi beamed. The taxi man flipped through the stations until he found the appropriate one. The host of the station was talking:

"_Seishun Gakuen's Empress, Namikaze Karin, is showing us an unexpected counterattack against the champion Rikkaidai's Sanada Genichirou."_

"That's my girl!" Kaichi laughed. He and Michiko initially came to Japan to surprise Karin in school. He was supposed to be in Sydney, Australia by tomorrow morning for a press conference and while on his way, why not pay a visit to Karin? However, when he called his old tennis coach to tell her of this plan, she told him they were currently playing in the finals. Excited, he took the first cab to the tennis park where the finals were being held.

"I'm gonna surprise her so bad!" Kaichi smirked. "She's gonna freak out!"

"You shouldn't distract her, Kaichi," Michiko told him. The man chuckled. "She's doing fine; I'm pretty sure by the time we get there, she's in the lead!"


	84. Invisible Serve

The rallies almost seemed endless. Every single Invisible Swing Sanada would do, Karin would be on the spot and return it swiftly. Her eyes adjusted to the swing already and although she still sees multiple racquets, she manages to see the point of impact and returns as if it were a regular return.

Humming a random tune loud enough for Sanada to hear, she approached the net and spun, hitting the ball with her racquet behind her back. Sanada went for it, but it was too fast and ended up missing it by an inch and falling to the ground.

"Game Seigaku! 3 games to 1!"

"Oh shaiza!" Karin dropped her racquet and jumped the net. She approached Sanada on the ground, knelt down by his form, digging her fingers through her hair. "He's dead! Naomi's gonna kill me!" Karin began to push at his chest rhythmically with her hands. "C'mon, breathe Sa-na-da! Breathe!"

He sat up in a flash, staring at her in utter shock, surprised at what she was doing. Karin laughed and stood up, holding two thumbs up to the unlocking crowd. "He's good everybody!"

"She's an idiot," Naomi rubbed her temple as the onlookers laughed. Ryuzaki chuckled as she watched Karin pat Sanada on the back and jump the net and walking into her court again. _What a goofball_, she thought as she shook her head.

The game began once more. The rallies became longer and longer but both sides weren't giving up. Sanada kept hitting his Invisible Swings and Karin kept on returning and stunning the onlookers with a stunt or two.

"I wonder how long she can last," Inui said suddenly, making everyone glance over.

"What do you mean?" Oishi asked. Inui pushed his glasses up his nose. "To us, Sanada's swing would normally be too fast for us to see. However, with Karin-chan's ability to easily see moving objects, she can see it. But that puts a heavy burden on her eyes."

"I know what you mean; I've been seeing multiple racquets and my eyes are starting to hurt," Kikumaru pouted, rubbing his eyes. Echizen, who was next to him, was blinking harshly. "I see them too; it's bothering my eyes."

Karin also began to notice the burden on her eyes. Her vision was flickering and despite the fact she's managing to return every single one of his swings, it was getting harder and harder to see them clearly like she used too.

Karin returned the ball swiftly. The score was 30-40, she needed to get the last point; if not, it will become an endless deuce game. She saw this coming and searched her mind for a creative answer. What could she do? As she watched Sanada take his familiar stance, Karin felt she had an extra tennis ball in her pocket. She smirked to herself as an idea popped in her head. _It just might work. _

Sanada didn't notice her smirk and returned the ball with an Invisible Swing. Just as the ball crashed to Karin's court, he noticed the ball behind her as if she'd run _past it_. Was this another one of her tricks? He doubts it; he hit the ball a bit more to the left than that. The ball shouldn't be behind her as this one was; it should be in front of her—

He heard the sound of a ball on his court.

"Game Seigaku! 3 games to 2!"

_What?_ He thought to himself angrily. He looked over at Karin on the opposite side of the court. She was rubbing her eyes with her hands. His Invisible Swing was taking a toll on her eyesight, he guessed. However, he didn't fail to notice that her right pocket was turned out—as if she's pulled something out of it.

"Another visual illusion," Inui explained, writing some notes down. How Karin came up with these tricks was beyond him but they were tremendously creative. Inui continued, "While she reached for the initial return, she pulled an extra ball from her pocket and tossed it behind her as she ran. That way, the opponent would notice it and keep his eye on _that_ ball while she returned his actual shot."

"Isn't that against the rules?" Momo asked. Inui shook his head. "I don't think there's anything against that; as long as you hit the ball the opponent returned, there's no violation."

Sanada was getting fed up with her tricks. He needed to end this quickly.

Karin dribbled the ball. She blinked harshly, trying to get her vision to focus. She spun the ball in front of her and sliced it. She frowned when she realized she didn't hit it correctly. Her vision was flickering and her eyes stung; she wasn't able to hit the serve correctly.

Sanada watched the ball bounce on his court but instead of gliding, it bounced at a small acute angle. He quickly sprung to action and swung at the ball. Karin struggled to see it but managed to return it. Sanada swung at it again, making Karin's vision flicker again at seeing multiple racquets.

_God this hurts so bad_, she clenched her teeth and gripped her racquet. As she ran towards the incoming ball, he eye muscles gave out on her and everything around her began to go black. Once her eye lids met, the relief that washed over her was immense. Suddenly, her ears perked at the sound of a ball bouncing on her court. Her body seemed to act on its own; it's always said that your other senses strengthen while one is down. Her sense of hearing seemed to increase tenfold and her body reacted to this. Her arm swung and she felt the power of the ball on the racquet head. She returned it swiftly.

"15-love!"

"Wow!" Karin laughed to herself. "Why didn't I think of this earlier?"

"She returned that with her eyes closed!" Rin jumped. Sakura whistled with a smirk. "That's badass."

Sanada's eyes widened as she watched the girl with the closed eyes walk back to the baseline. She's joking right? There's no way someone can play with their eyes closed!

He saw Karin smirk from her position at the baseline and tossed the ball in the air. Sanada frowned at this. She refrained from serving that way since he returned her serves easily; she could easily serve the Estonian Twist without trouble now.

Karin knew this, but considering that she can actually play without straining her eyes now; she's taking advantage of the situation. She never liked services aces; she doesn't get to enjoy her service game that way.

Sanada swung at her serve. Karin's eyes perked at the sound of ball against racquet, then the bounce on her court. She dashed towards it and returned it easily. Sanada frowned and hit it back, only to be angered even more as he saw Karin mock him and hit the ball between her legs.

"30-love!"

Karin laughed and spun around the court, hitting shot after shot. Sanada was getting angrier by the second.

"40-love!"

Karin grinned at him from the baseline and spun the ball in her hand and sliced it. It was time to tie the games.

"Game Seigaku! 3 games to 3!"

Her ears picked up the sound of Seigaku cheering and she couldn't help but smile. The game was finally tied. At this rate, she'll be able to take the lead.

She swayed from side to side happily as she heard Sanada dribble the ball gently. He suddenly stopped and Karin prepared herself for the serve. She found it odd that she didn't hear the bounce of the ball but she opened her eyes in shock when the referee shouted, "15-love!"

Karin, with her eyes open now, carefully watched as Sanada toss the ball over his head and then…nothing.

"30-love!"

"Oh this is just lovely!" Karin said sarcastically as she threw her arms up. She then swayed her hand at her side, imitating a waiter with a British accent, "_Would you like an Invisible Serve to go with that Invisible Swing?_ Yeah, make me blind why don't you!"

Seigaku snickered at this but Sanada only frowned heavily. Will she ever take this seriously? He obviously has an advantage over her and will most likely win the entire match and she's acting like a child.

Despite her sarcasm and goofing off, Karin could do nothing but stare straight ahead as Sanada served. This was different from the swing; with the swing she could at least see the trajectory of the ball. With the serve it was impossible to tell where the ball is headed and the fact that her eyes were still a bit weary from the previous games didn't make it better.

"40-love!"

"Game, Rikkaidai! 4 games to 3!"

Karin sighed and swung her racquet over her shoulder. She walked over to the bench and slumped down next to Ryuzaki. She took a wet rag and placed it over her tired eyes, sighing in relief.

"So you think you're gonna lose?" Ryuzaki asked jokingly. Karin let out a breath of air. "Is it obvious?"

"It's rare to see you lose hope so easily," she stated, her eyebrows raised in mild shock.

"My eyes hurt and I can barely see the ball; how am I supposed to—" she was cut off when Ryuzaki pressed a cold glass onto her cheek. Karin sat up, the rag falling from her face and onto her lap. She eyed her coach and was surprised to see her holding her favorite peach flavored Snapple.

"I bet if you drink some Snapple you'll feel a lot better," the coach grinned. Karin laughed and took the bottle. "Where'd this come from?"

"Someone special bought it a few minutes ago just for you," Ryuzaki winked at her and nodded towards the fence overlooking the courts behind Karin. The blue-eyed girl turned her head and gasped when she spotted the familiar form of her father wearing his usual cap and dark sunglasses, a huge smile on his features. Next to him was her mother, whom she hasn't seen since she's been in Japan. The simple sight of her parents lightened her spirit immensely. Karin smiled when she saw them hold a thumbs-up for her, grinning happily.

Karin turned back to her coach and handed her the Snapple. Ryuzaki seemed surprised that Karin turned down an offer to drink the iced tea, but a smile swept on her features when the girl spun the racquet on her fingers, smirking. "Hold on to that. I'll drink it when I win this thing."


	85. Finally Champions

Her eyes strained to see his shots. While she manages to faintly see the racquet, the ball becomes blurry and hard to figure out its trajectory. He was making her run all over the court and her exhaustion was only increasing by the games. Despite the comfort she felt with her parents overlooking her, she was still having a difficult time. While she was willing to bust out some tricks and stunts, she told herself to put that all aside and try to figure out how on earth she was going to counter this.

The rallies seemed to be endless. Despite the fact that this was her service game, she only managed to get two correct Estonian Twists in; the rest bounced up due to her straining eyesight.

"30-15!"

"30 all!"

"30-40!"

Karin chased after the ball, using every trick in the book to get to it faster; the split step, hopping, switching hands. Everything at her disposal was sealed. She can't lose now; she can't let everyone down and have them walk off these courts with a runner-up medal. She was determined to win this.

"Game Rikkaidai! 5 games to 3!"

"Oh no! One more game and we lose!" Horio blurted out, pulling at his hair. Kikumaru shook his head. "Don't lose hope! Fight Karin-chan!"

"She's having a hard time," Michiko gripped the fence with one of her hands. Kaichi remained silent, his expression stern and his arms folded over his chest. This couldn't be the end of this match; he knew his daughter far too well to know that she won't throw this all away like this. He was confident she'll win. However, he couldn't help but give a small smile. He's taught her well; he doesn't know how many times he got yelled at by his personal trainer because he purposely skipped tennis matches and Grand Slams to spend time with Karin, to teach her to play the sport and maybe take her to Disney in Orlando while still holding his title as number one. He _knows_ she won't lose.

Sanada tossed the ball over his head and served inhumanly fast. Karin didn't bother to get it and remained frozen in her spot.

"15-love!"

Karin closed her eyes gently and caressed the grip tape on her racquet with the palms of her hand. She felt the ball whoosh past her.

"30-love!"

Karin allowed a smile to parade her lips. There's one thing that she hasn't tried yet but she swore to herself she'd never use it despite the fact that he insisted that she never knew when she'll need it. He was right and Karin only laughed silently at the thought.

"40-love!"

"Karin…" her three friends muttered to themselves. Seigaku was tense. There were some members such as Fuji, Oishi and Momo who kept on observing the seemingly helpless match. Others like Kaidoh and Echizen merely lowered their glance; the outcome was obvious.

_I have to acknowledge her_, Sanada thought as he dribbled the ball. _I never thought she would make me get this serious. However, the championship belongs to Rikkaidai_. He tossed the ball over his head but just as he swung his arm to hit the airborne ball, he heard her voice:

"Hey look! Naomi's topless!"

Sanada's eyes widened as he blushed and swung awkwardly at the ball. He managed to get it in though.

"Really?" Naomi cried from her seat on the bleachers. Karin only laughed and sprang into action. She eyed the ball and hit it back. Sanada swung at the ball and Karin returned swiftly. The rally went back and forth; however, it was suddenly noticeable how Karin was moving around the court less and less as Sanada was running back and forth; it got to the point where she was taking two to three footsteps to merely return Sanada' shots. Once she became rooted to the center of the court, unmoving as the shots came at her was when Seigaku gasped in shock.

"Is it me or are all the shots just coming in too easy?" Rin blinked as she watched the ball hit the baseline and then reroute back to Karin's swinging range.

"Tezuka Zone," Echizen muttered with wide eyes. Fuji couldn't believe what he was seeing. "When did she learn that?"

Ryuzaki watched her student return shot after shot. She chuckled. She sure was full of surprises.

"40-15!"

Seigaku cheered for the point. Sanada was in utter disbelief; all his shots were directed towards her despite his aiming towards the corners of the court. Was this even possible?

"I never knew I'd have to bust this move out considering I hate it," Karin shrugged with a smirk. She pointed her racquet at him. "But we worked too hard to let everything go down the drain; Seigaku is taking the championship!"

"**Kuni, are you done already…?" Karin complained as she rolled onto her back on the bench. The sun was setting lazily over the horizon but the tennis captain on the court had no plans of leaving yet.**

"**I want to perfect the right-handed Tezuka Zone," he adjusted the strings on his racquet momentarily before glancing at his girlfriend sprawled out on the bench. "I want to have it perfected before I—"**

"**Don't remind me!" she sat up and covered her ears. Tezuka couldn't help but chuckle at her childishness. He wanted to perfect the Tezuka Zone before he left to Germany. And he wanted to challenge Echizen to one more match with the move perfected.**

"**But seriously Kuni, I dunno why you want to perfect such a dumb move," she raised a curious eyebrow.**

"**Excuse me?" Tezuka blinked. Karin smiled and approached him, gently taking the racquet from his hands and examining it before looking up at him. "Tezuka Zone's a good move and all but it's no fun at all. The shots come at you just like that, ya know?" **

"**It's very useful when you're in a tough match though," he stated. **

"**True but like I said, it's no fun—tennis is about running around and—" **

"**Do you want to learn it?" he asked. Karin blinked at his blunt question. "Wha…"**

"**I can teach you Tezuka Zone; you're capable of learning it,"**

"**Kuni, I just said I didn't like it," her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He gave her a light smirk. "But you never know when you might need it."**

**Karin remained silent, pondering at his statement. He chuckled, adding, "This can be my going away present."**

"**Really; you're going to use that against me?" she smirked at him. He shrugged. "Is it working?"**

"**Fine I'll learn it but I'll never use it once I do," Karin smirked and turned to walk towards the benches where he bag was. Tezuka merely shook his head. "We'll see about that."**

"Game Seigaku! 5 games to 4!"

Seigaku, along with the onlookers cheered for the newfound counterattack. "Seigaku! Seigaku! Seigaku!"

"What it this: Hyotei?" Karin laughed and raised her hand in the air, snapping her fingers. "Be awed by the sight of my prowess!"

Where Hyotei stood watching the match, Atobe only rolled his eyes as his teammates snickered.

"I've never seen a more accurate reenactment of a typical 'Atobe' match," Oshitari teased. Atobe only chuckled. "Be quiet, Oshitari."

The cheers continued as Karin, smiling now and back to her playful character, was hitting shot after shot. She threw in some tricks here and there; hitting the ball with the racquet behind her, between her legs, even going as far as spinning and hitting it. While initially not liking the Tezuka Zone, she had to admit it is useful for these long-drawn and almost impossible matches. She was having fun on the court, and that was the important thing.

_I never thought she'd be hiding such a move,_ Sanada's eyes widened as she stole yet another point from him. _She's truly an amazing player. _

"Now how the hell did that girl learn that?" Kaichi rolled his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose, exposing his blue orbs. Michiko smiled happily, watching her daughter catch up. "Well, I know a certain someone that pulls things out of the blue like that."

"Really, who?" Kaichi raised an eyebrow as he spread a smirk over his face.

"Game and match Seigaku! 7 games to 5!"

The cheers that erupted from the tennis courts were immense. Karin laughed happily and jumped around the court. "We won! We're champions!"

They each received a golden medal, proving their 'Kantou's Number One' status. A runner-up medal was awarded to Sanada, which he half-heartedly accepted. Although he lost, he had to admit Seigaku put up a good fight.

"Karin, you were freaking badass!" Sakura hugged her friend. "How'd the hell you learn to do that?"

"That's classified," Karin smiled.

"That's my line," a voice called out. The Seigaku team all looked towards a man and a woman walking towards the team. They were surprised to see Karin run up and hug them both. "Daddy! Mommy!"

"Huh?" the Seigaku team let out as she watched her hug them. Karin parted from them and grinned. "How'd I do?"

"You were kick ass!" Kaichi grinned and ruffled his daughter's hair. Michiko nodded. "You were amazing sweetheart; I'm so proud of you!"

"Wait, if you're Karin-senpai's parents then that means…" Horio's eyes twitched as he spoke. Kaichi smiled and removed his hat and sunglasses, revealing his unruly golden locks and sparkling blue eyes. "I'm so glad to see Seigaku still hasn't lost that spirit of whoop ass," he said with a laugh.

The Seigaku team all stood in awe at the sight of him. Kikumaru was the brave one to approach him, smiling meekly as he held up his racquet, "Namikaze-san, could you sign my racquet?"

"Hell yeah—Mi-chi-ko?" he took the racquet and held out his hand to his wife, who promptly placed a sharpie on his palm. He swiftly signed the side of the racquet. "There you go."

"I'm glad you could make it, Kaichi," Ryuzaki approached him. "It's good to see you too, Michiko."

"It's good to be back in Japan," Kaichi stretched and glanced around the team. He remembered that the last time he saw them was during the Yamabuki matches with Banji. Oddly, he feels there's something out of place so of course, he voices his concerns,

"Wasn't there another one of you guys?" he asked, eyeing the Seigaku team. Karin blinked. "What do you mean?"

"There was another guy…" Kaichi rummaged his memory for a description of the Seigaku boy that bumped into him. "He was tall, he wore the Seigaku uniform with glasses and didn't talk much—apparently he liked Snapple too."

"Dad," Karin blushed. "You mean Kuni?"

"Kuni?" Kaichi frowned. "You have a pet name for him?"

"He's the one in Germany, dad," Karin eased, "My boyfriend."

There was a moment of silence between them all. A smirk widened on Kaichi's features as he placed the pieces of the puzzle together; the boy that bumped into him all those months ago to get Snapple was none other than the boy who would eventually date his daughter—this was _pure_ _gold_.

"So _he's_ the one in Germany?" Kaichi laughed loudly. "He has no idea the size of the bullet he's dodged right now."

As per tradition, Kawamura's Sushi Shop was reserved only for the newly crowned champions of the Kantou region. Kawamura senior told them it was an all-you-could-eat buffet and could order anything their hearts desired. They did just that, and the tables were filled with sushi by the minute. Kaichi and Michiko stayed for some time at the sushi bar, eating and talking and in Kaichi's case, signing the freshmen's hats and racquets. Although he tends to disguise himself to avoid flocks of paparazzi, he enjoys the attention and doesn't mind signing a million hats for his fans. However, it wasn't long before his coach was calling him, telling him he needed to arrive in Sydney for the press conference and through a dramatic and childish goodbye with his daughter did Namikaze Kaichi and Michiko leave. Ryuzaki got a phone call a bit after her former student left and walked outside before coming back into the sushi bar with a grin.

"Everyone!" she called out. "I just heard from Sanada-kun that Yukimura's surgery was a success."

At this, everyone cheered and made a toast with their drinks along with another for winning the championship for the fifteenth time. After all their hard work and obstacles, the championship was finally theirs. They couldn't be happier but no one was happier than the certain recipient of the message arriving in Munich late that night:

_We're freakin' champions! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D_


	86. Happy Reunion

After approximately 11 hours of flight, the massive jet finally landed on the runway. The jet had just flown in from Japan and inside, the Seigaku tennis team sat eagerly waiting to walk inside the foreign airport. Upon walking into the vast airport, the team didn't seem to change their behavioral pattern despite being halfway around the world; Momo and Kikumaru gawked over the souvenirs, Kawamura, Echizen and Inui asked questions at the front desk, Kaidoh looked annoyed, Fuji was trying to mingle with the locals and Karin and her friends were just looking around.

"Look at this gibberish," Karin said as she tried to read a sign in German. "And I thought Japanese was messed up."

"Show a little respect Karin," Naomi laughed. Karin shrugged and hopped up and down. "Whatever; I'm so excited to see Kuni!"

"We all are," Sakura smiled. Rin nodded. "It's not the same talking to him through webcam and meeting him in person."

"I just wanna see him so bad!" Karin grinned happily.

Ryuzaki, who stood next to Oishi, sighed upon seeing her team. Oishi chuckled. "They don't change do they?"

"Not one bit," Ryuzaki shook her head.

"Excuse me?" a voice called from behind them. When they turned, they saw a woman with ginger hair, hazel eyes and wearing a lab coat. "Are you the Seigaku Tennis Team? I'm Tezuka-kun's doctor. I've come to pick you up."

After gathering up the team, they boarded a bus where Tezuka's doctor drove them to the rehabilitation center. While she drove, Karin could barely stay in her seat.

"Karin! Sit down!" Ryuzaki cried into the bus. Karin, who was hopping up and down in the middle aisle of the bus, pouted at her coach. "But Sumire-chan! I can't help it!"

Ryuzaki huffed against her seat. The doctor laughed softly, making Ryuzaki turn her head as she spoke, "So she's Karin-chan? I never imagined her to be so cheerful and energetic."

"She's always that way," Ryuzaki sighed with a small grin.

Eventually, the bus stopped in front of a building. The doctor smiled. "Ok, we've arrived."

"Finally!" Karin swung her fists in the air in triumph. Momo laughed as he ruffled the hair of a serious-looking Echizen. "Echizen, you better not cry when you see the buchou."

"I'm not going to cry," the freshman rolled his eyes.

Everyone began to walk off the bus. Just as Karin got off the bus, she noticed that her team members in front of her were looking at something to their left. When she followed their glances, her heart began to increase its speed upon seeing Tezuka standing there wearing dark blue sweatpants with a matching jacket; his hands were casually in his pockets. Their eyes met instantly, and a small smile paraded his lips.

"Kuni!" Karin cried out excitably, tossing her bag to the side and running over to him. She literally jumped onto him, wrapping her arms around her neck and sweeping her feet off the ground in excitement. At her sudden action, Tezuka surprisingly stumbled a few steps back, but managed to keep his balance and returned her embrace.

"I missed you, Karin," he said softly. Karin laughed and pressed a soft and quick kiss on his lips. "I missed you too!"

"You guys are gonna make me barf rainbows~!" Rin said as she squealed happily. Still in their initial embrace, Tezuka and Karin looked over to see Rin spinning around dreamingly while the rest of the team was smiling softly at the sight.

"It's good to see you all," Tezuka told them with a nod. He glanced at Karin's friends and nodded at them. "And it's a pleasure to meet you three."

"Pleasure's ours, Tezuka," Sakura grinned.

They all walked into the building where they stood around a table. Karin refused to let go of Tezuka and had her arms around his torso. He wasn't complaining however, and had his arm wrapped around her waist.

"It's really been a while, Tezuka," Kawamura smiled shyly. Kikumaru laughed. "Haven't you gained a little weight?"

Tezuka chuckled. "You all seem to be doing well."

"You gained weight?" Karin raised an eyebrow.

"It's the beer," Sakura commented. Karin laughed. "Yes! It's totally the beer!"

Tezuka rolled his eyes as he smirked. Oishi stepped up. "Karin-chan, didn't we all want to give Tezuka something?"

"Oh yeah!" Karin's eyes widened and went to her backpack and pulled out a shiny gold medal. She held it out to Tezuka as she smiled. "We brought this for you; it's the championship medal."

Tezuka stared at the medal in both awe and surprise. He met Karin's glance before glancing at his team. Fuji smiled. "Take it, Tezuka. It's yours."

"It's too late to back down now," Kikumaru beamed. "We came all the way here to give it to you!"

Tezuka couldn't help but smile gently and look back at Karin. He almost hesitantly took the medal from her hands. The feel of it in his hand was almost magical; he was extremely proud of his team.

"Thank you, everyone," he thanked them. Karin smiled and jumped onto him again, kissing him on the cheek. "You deserve it, Kuni!"

"By the way, I saw your match with Sanada in a video Oishi sent me," Tezuka said suddenly. Karin raised an eyebrow when she saw him raise an eyebrow and a small smirk light his stern features. "I thought you weren't ever going to use Tezuka Zone."

Karin frowned at him as her team laughed. She pouted. "You were right, I was wrong—happy?"

He only chuckled and looked down at the medal again. Tezuka then showed them around the rehab center. He showed them the gym, the library, the different treatment facilities and lastly, the room he was staying in.

"So what are we gonna do for the rest of the day?" Karin asked as she and the team walked down the hallways. Tezuka turned to his team. "There was someone I wanted you all to meet but their schedule didn't allow it."

"Meet us?" Inui asked. Fuji cocked his head. "Who?"

"My rehabilitation trainer," Tezuka said simply. "My trainer will no doubt be in the café in Kristov Avenue this evening, so I'll show you around town until then."

Ryuzaki decided to stay behind since she was tired from the long trip, so Tezuka assured her that he will be the team's tour guide.

They took the bus and got off in the city, where Tezuka began to lead them around to the tourist attractions. He showed them the Munich Bavarian Castle, which was now open to the public as an art museum, the Olympic Park which opened in 1972 for the Munich Olympics, the Olympic Tower which was the tallest structure in all of Germany, the Dachau Concentration Camp in which Jews and prisoners of war were imprisoned and lastly, St. Peter's Church which was the oldest church in Munich. They climbed up all the way to the top of the church which overlooked all of Munich.

"The town is beautiful and the center's facilities are outstanding," Oishi told Tezuka, who stood next to him. "You're lucky to be here."

"Yes, but…" Tezuka trailed off. "It doesn't matter how blessed the environment is or how good my trainer is; nothing beats the feeling of standing in a tennis court and actually playing." He pulled the championship medal from his pocket and glanced at it, its gold shining against the sun's light.

"Tezuka…" Oishi couldn't help but mutter. Tezuka sighed and glanced at him, almost apologetically. "Sorry, I was rambling."

"Hey, where's Karin?" Rin looked around with a raised eyebrow.

"Inui, Momo, Kaidoh and Ochibi are gone too!" Kikumaru cried. Tezuka felt a pang of shock course through him. Karin's missing?

**o.O.o**

"Uh…" Karin let out as she stood in an alley with Inui, Momo and Echizen. "How did we end up here again?"

"It appears we're completely separated from the others," Inui scribbled on his notebook. Momo began to freak out. "What do we do? What if we can't find them and we can never go back to Japan again!"

"Don't panic," Echizen sighed heavily. Inui nodded. "Echizen's right; we all need to calm down—do you have your cell phones?"

Karin reached into her back pocket and glanced at the screen. She smiled weakly. "I don't have any signal…"

"Great…" Echizen rolled his eyes.

Walking out into what looked to be a main road, Inui pulled out a map. He began to analyze it while Karin, Echizen and Momo glanced over his shoulder.

"Kuni said we were gonna go to Kristov Avenue," Karin recalled. "If we go there, maybe we can meet up with them."

"Right, so we're in Frauen Avenue and north is that way so if we walk this way," Inui gestured to his right. "We should arrive in Kristov Avenue."


	87. The Woman Named Hannah

It wasn't long before they arrived in a tourist-filled street with food vendors, bars and souvenir shops. As they walked, Inui glanced at the map again. "It should be somewhere in this area…"

"This looks like a tourist hang out so maybe we're close," Karin looked around. As they walked, Momo noticed a stand where a boy was standing on a wooden platform in front of a circle with a hole in the middle. The boy threw a green ball towards it but missed the hole in the middle by a few inches.

"That's too bad, nice try!" the man operating the stand laughed as he watched the boy step down from the platform. Momo laughed. "Target-hitting huh? Looks like fun!"

"Hey! You Japanese students want to play?" the man said in Japanese, "Just two euros!"

"You speak Japanese?" Momo asked in surprise. The man nodded. "I've been doing business with tourists for many years—I'm fluent in several languages."

"Thank goodness," Momo laughed. "We're lost; could you tell us where Kristov Avenue is?"

"I won't do it for free," he smirked as he held up a green ball. "If you do this and win; I'll tell you."

"You're good at your job, mister," Momo laughed weakly. For two euro, you get three throws. Inui was the only one of them that had money but two euro was coincidently all he had.

"Out of all of us, Karin-chan and Echizen are the only ones with the best serve control," Inui said. "So which one of you—"

"I'll do it!" Karin waved her arm in the air excitably. Echizen sighed as he tipped his hat over his eyes. "Mada mada dane…"

"Alright, climb up to the platform and throw," the man pointed. Karin nodded and stood on the platform. She let out a surprised yelp when she felt the platform under her bob back and forth.

"Watch your step, young lady," the man smiled. Karin played with the ball in her fingers before turning to her side and dribbled the ball on the floor as if she was serving in tennis. She glanced at the target and raising her left arm in the air the way she would do with her racquet, she swung it over her shoulder. However, the platform under her waivered, made her lose her balance and miss the target.

"Oh so close," the man laughed. "Two more chances!"

"C'mon Karin-chan!" Momo cheered. "You can do it!"

Karin took another ball and repeated her throw, but the platform made her lose her balance again and she missed the target.

"One more chance, young lady," the man laughed. Karin sighed heavily.

"Hey! Japanese girl!" a female voice called out. Karin looked behind her to see a woman waving at her from her table. She had wavy, ginger hair, sky blue eyes and a blush on her cheeks. She downed the last of the beer in her mug before smirking at Karin. "You play tennis, right?"

Karin smiled. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

The woman smiled and grabbed a racquet that stood upright against her table. She walked over and handed it to Karin. "I can tell by the way you throw," she glanced at the man standing by the target. "It is ok if she uses the racquet?"

"S-Sure," the man stuttered, confused on how a racquet was going to make things easier.

"Thanks," Karin took the racquet. She turned towards the target and gripping the racquet in her right, she dribbled the ball. At the sight of a racquet in her hand, onlookers watched the scene. Feeling comfortable like this now, Karin dribbled the ball before tossing it over her head and hit it swiftly. The ball whooshed into the center of the target easily, earning gasps from the crowd as well as the man running the stand.

"Ok mister, we won! Now can you tell us where Kristov Avenue is?" Momo asked. The man chuckled. "You're in the middle of Kristov Avenue right now!"

Karin smiled and jumped off the platform. She walked over to the woman and handed her the racquet. "Thanks for letting me use your racquet."

"You're good," the woman gave her a crooked grin. Karin smiled. "Thanks,"

"That's all I get? _Thanks_?" she suddenly said. Karin blinked as the woman wrapped her arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer. "You used my racquet so you're gonna tag along with me now; you're interesting—you hit with your right even though you're lefty."

"You could tell?" Karin asked. The woman chuckled and nodded. "Of course; anybody can tell."

The woman, who said her name was Hannah, dragged Karin to her table and there she sat along with Inui, Momo and Echizen. Karin ordered herself an iced tea (there wasn't any Snapple but close enough) and ordered Echizen a soda.

"Your Japanese is pretty good, Hannah-san," Momo commented. Hannah nodded and gulped down her beer. "I did a bit of Japanese in school."

"Do you play tennis?" Inui asked as he scribbled down in his notebook. The red head shrugged. "I'm not that good but I play well enough to beat the girl,"

Karin raised an eyebrow as she sipped her iced tea but said nothing. The woman was clearly drunk out of her mind. And Karin's observations were right. Hannah gulped down a whole mug of beer and laughed stupidly as she glanced at all of them.

"Even Japanese people come in various types, huh?" she slurred. Hannah laughed and placed Echizen in a friendly headlock as she spoke, "Your personalities and looks don't match—it's so interesting~!"

"Do you know a Japanese person or something?" Momo asked. Hannah's expression suddenly changed completely and she let go of Echizen. "Yes! An annoying one!" she pouted. "He's rude, disdainful, conceited and he lectures me even though I'm older than him! Who does he think he is? He's so unlikeable!"

"Wow, he sounds like a real ass," Karin laughed. Hannah slammed her fists against the table. "You have no idea! I swear I don't know how he has such a cute girlfriend when he's so unpleasant!"

"That girl must be insane then—I wouldn't be able to deal with a person like that," Karin scoffed.

"You look weird," the woman suddenly said. Hannah suddenly stood from her seat and pointed at Karin. "You're coming with me!"

"Where?" Inui asked in confusion. Hannah laughed. "The tennis court!" she turned to Karin again, pointing. "We're going to play a match! You and me!" She hiccupped twice as she said this. Karin slurped on her iced tea quizzically. How many beers did this woman drink?


	88. Karin vs Hannah

Standing in a vacant tennis court, Karin spun Hannah's racquet between her fingers. She held in a laugh as she watched Hannah wobble over to the net.

"I hope my racquet suits you," Hannah slurred. Karin nodded. "It's fine, don't worry."

"Then let's start!" she said happily and skipped to the baseline. She turned and held out her arms. "Let's play a one set match! I'll serve first!"

"Go ahead!" Karin laughed. Hannah smiled and began to dribble the ball softly on the court. Karin crouched and readied herself for Hannah's serve. Karin watched the woman carefully and found it strange how her drunken, unfocused eyes suddenly hardened determinedly. Hannah then tossed the ball in the air and Karin swore she saw nothing until the ball was caught behind her in the fence. Karin looked over her shoulder at the ball as Hannah chuckled, "15-love…"

Karin blinked and eyed her friends at the fence, who looked just as shocked as she was. _What the hell was that_, Karin thought as she looked back at Hannah who was getting ready to serve again. _How did she do that? _

Karin prepared herself and while she saw the serve clearly this time, she failed to return it. Hannah served again and Karin remained rooted to the ground, trying to observe and study the serve as much as possible.

Karin grinned in amusement. Hannah served again and this time, Karin caught up and returned the fast serve. However, as soon as she returned it, Hannah seemed to be a step ahead of her and quickly returned the ball to the opposite side of the court before Karin had any chance to react.

"One game to love," Hannah smirked in triumph.

Karin tossed the ball in the air and made a perfect twist serve, only for Hannah to return it easily. They rallied for a short period of time until Karin returned. She saw Hannah's eyes glance towards the left, and Karin's mind clicked. _She's going for a cross_, Karin thought and ran towards the left. However, she was completely wrong, and Hannah hit a strong return in the opposite direction.

"Ah geez," Karin sighed heavily.

"Hey!" Hannah called out. "Your reaction to my eyes was pretty good but you missed the movement of my wrist. Shouldn't a little feint like that be obvious to you?"

Karin raised an eyebrow. She really wasn't taking this game seriously considering the woman is drunk out of her mind but apparently she isn't as drunk as Karin thought. She'll have to start getting serious if this woman this good.

Hannah returned yet another one of Karin's serves. She brushed a ginger lock from her face and sighed. "Your serves are good but if you can't predict your opponent's return you won't win."

Karin grinned and served again, this time adding a bit more power than usual. Hannah went for it and accidently lobbed it towards the baseline. Karin dashed for it and with her back to the net, hit the ball between her legs. Karin's return hit the tip of the net, but instead of being shocked at Karin's feat, Hannah merely went for the ball and smashed it, leaving Karin confused at the baseline.

"I'm very confused right now," Karin pouted. Hannah laughed. "That was a nice trick, but don't always expect you opponent to be awe-struck by it."

"I was kinda hopping for that," Karin shrugged. Hannah laughed. "And by the way, two games to love."

"Yeah I know," Karin rolled her eyes with a smirk. As she did so, her eyes trailed off to where Inui, Momo and Echizen were only to see a larger group of people which she realized was the team, including her friends and Tezuka. Upon seeing him, a wave of happiness washed over her and she held out her arm and waved. "Kuni!"

"Kunimitsu!"

Another voice called out to him at the same time. With wide eyes, Karin glanced at Hannah, who was smiling and waving at Tezuka as well. Confused, Karin glanced back and forth between Tezuka and Hannah, trying to make a connection. Hannah saw her confused face and grinned. "I'm his trainer."

Right then and there, it hit Karin. Apparently Hannah is the trainer Tezuka wanted them to meet, however her 'schedule' wouldn't allow her to meet them—which was drinking beer and getting drunk. Karin then blinked quickly, finally adding two plus two together. The disdainful, conceited, annoying and unlikeable guy was Tezuka—in which Karin recalls calling an ass—and she called _herself_ crazy.

Karin couldn't help but let out a loud laugh. Hannah blinked at her. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Karin shook her head, seeing as Hannah didn't remember her drunken ramble at Kristov Avenue. This was going to be a very funny story to tell Tezuka after all this.

"So you're the Karin he talked to highly of," Hannah smirked at her. "He wanted me to meet you."

Karin grinned happily, but Hannah sharpened her eyes. "Even though you're my opponent, I'm not holding back. If this is what Japan has to offer then I'm very disappointed."

Karin frowned in return. The red-headed woman served the ball quickly. Karin switched into her playful mode. She ran towards the ball and pulled an extra ball from her pocket, letting it drop beside her. She smirked when she saw Hannah's eyes subconsciously follow that ball while Karin returned and got the point.

They began to rally back and forth. Karin got some points, then Hannah would get them back and it would repeat. It seemed an endless game and Hannah was more than just 'into it', making her somewhat frightening. However, Karin kept up with her tricks and feats. Nevertheless, Hannah was becoming adept to her trickery and Karin found herself in a tight spot.

"Four games to one," Hannah said as Karin missed her return. "Change court."

Instead of going for the bench like Hannah was for a rest, Karin dashed to the fence, gripping it with a pouting face. "Kuni help me! She's good and I just want a Snapple! Kuni!"

"I'll buy you one after you finish," Tezuka promised her. Karin bore a puppy dog face as Naomi laughed. "Stop being a baby, Karin."

"Hey, you're not the one playing the pro," Karin pouted. Oishi raised an eyebrow. "Pro?"

"Yeah, isn't she a pro player?" Karin glanced at Tezuka. "I don't know who she is but no one plays like that unless they're pro."

"Her full name is Hannah Essenheimer," Inui said, closing his notebook. Karin's eyes widened. "Essenheimer? Never heard of her."

"When she was 16, she debuted as a pro tennis player, winning consecutive tournaments all across Europe—she was called "Bavaria's Nova"," Inui began. "However, she withdrew in the middle of a game five years ago and then disappeared from public sight."

"Hey! Ogle Kunimitsu later!" Hannah called out from where she stood on the court. Karin turned to see her with a brilliant smirk on her face. "We have a game to finish."

The game resumed. While playing, Karin overheard Tezuka telling the team of Hannah's story. She was gaining popularity, winning four straight pro tournaments and was expected to participate in the Grand Slam as well but waiting for her was a pro's baptism. Three of her opponents whom were jealous broke into her locker and trashed her racquets, her clothing, everything. Due to the embarrassment, Hannah was last seen that day.

"Five games to one," Hannah announced. Karin frowned. She could've gotten that volley but she didn't get there in time.

"Ready to give up?" Hannah mused. Karin adjusted her hat and shook her head with a bright grin. "No way!"

Hannah's eyes narrowed. The game continued, this time, Hannah noticing the tenacity in Karin raising as games went on. She rebounded from match point and took a game from her. Hannah watched her tricks get more elaborate, more confusing. And all with a smile on her face. She was trying so hard and yet, despite losing and knowing there is a almost positive chance she'll lose, she keeps playing.

_Why is she trying so hard?_ Hannah thought. _Why? For what purpose?_

3-5

4-5

5-5

Karin managed to take three straight games from her, finally tying the match at 5-5. With wide eyes, Hannah stared in shock at the girl before her. This sudden tenacity was shocking but at the same time refreshing.

"Alright, score's 5-6!" Sakura beamed happily. Tezuka watched attentively as the game continued. He was hopeful Karin would ignite the spark he was hoping she'd set aflame.

Karin grinned, dribbling the ball on the court. Hannah stared at her with a quizzical look, which made Karin laugh. "Never give up, Hannah!" Karin told her. "Never give up!"

This struck Hannah. She used to say that to her fans, her followers, the people that looked up to her. That was her motto, the phrase she lived by. How could she have forgotten?

As they rallied, Hannah began to feel that old feeling; the feeling she would get when she played. That excitement and thrill of the game. She had forgotten, and this girl was making her remember; she was bringing it back.

Reaching behind her back, Karin returned Hannah's volley easily. The ginger woman returned the ball back forcefully. _Tennis is about enjoying it_, she thought with a small smile. Karin returned the ball swiftly. Hannah hit the ball back and flew right past Karin, but unfortunately, it hit just outside of the baseline.

"Just one ball…I lost…" Hannah mumbled, but smiled softly as she approached the net. "Game and match, Karin,"

Karin smiled and shook Hannah's hand. As she did so, Hannah sighed in a relieved way. "_Danke_, Karin,"

"_Danke_? That's…" Karin looked up. "Thank you right? So…_bitte_?"

"_Ja_," Hannah laughed. Karin laughed as well. Suddenly, Tezuka came up to them. He stood before Hannah, holding pink wristbands and matching headband. "These are from my doctor," he said. "Won't you try wearing them…one more time?"

Karin gasped silently and nodded rapidly as she saw Hannah stare at them in shock. Smiling, the German woman took them from Tezuka and put them on. "Thank you, Kunimitsu. I'll try one more time."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Karin grinned happily. "I better see you at the number one spot!"

"It's not easy to reach the top," Hannah said. "But I'll get there this time."


	89. Final Goodbyes

"So she called me rude, conceited and disdainful?" Tezuka raised an eyebrow. Karin nodded and laughed. "Yeah and I didn't know she was talking about you and I agreed with her."

Tezuka couldn't help but chuckle softly. The sun was currently setting over the German city of Munich. The street lights illuminated the dusk streets. The couple sat on a vacant bench in a park. Karin's friends along with the team insisted they should have a day to themselves since they spent so much time apart and neither of them objected. Tezuka, who wore a casual light blue button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, jeans and black shoes, sat with his arm slung over the backrest of the bench. Karin wore a blouse with a long-sleeved cardigan, jeans and converse sneakers.

Karin sighed and rested her head on his shoulder as her blue eyes watched the people walk through the park calmly. "This is relaxing. Germany's beautiful."

"It is; I love it here," Tezuka strung his fingers through Karin's hair absentmindedly, pleased at how silky it was. Karin smiled and licked the ice cream cone Tezuka bought her just a few moments ago. "The ice cream's the bomb here."

Tezuka only chuckled. He enjoyed every moment he had with Karin; she was leaving tomorrow morning. They'll have to go back to long distance until his rehabilitation is over which is not hard for them but it does take its toll. The web cam helps out but nothing beats the feeling of just sitting on a lone bench in a park eating ice cream.

"I wish you could come back already," Karin ate some more ice cream from the waffle cone. "I miss you a lot when you're gone."

"Me too," his eyebrows ceased a bit. "I'll be back in Japan before you know it."

"I hope so," Karin held up the cone and looked up at him. "Want some?"

"No thanks," Tezuka shook his head. He wasn't much of an ice cream eater, junk food in general. Karin knew that, but she just wanted to tease. She pouted. "Not even a little…?"

Tezuka chuckled at her childish pout but shook his head. "No…"

Karin raised her head upwards and met his lips with hers. She pulled away just as he leaned in for more.

"You sure?" she smirked. Tezuka smiled softly. "Will I get another one of those if I refuse?"

"_Ja_," Karin laughed childishly.

"_Nein_," he said. Karin leaned in again, kissing him softly. This kiss lasted a bit longer than the first one, but Karin pulled away again teasingly. "You still don't want any ice cream?"

"No," he showed off the dimples on his cheeks. However, when he expected Karin to lean for another kiss, his lips met the coldness of the ice cream from the cone. She shoved the cone into his face and seeing the surprise on his face, Karin broke into a hysterical laughter.

He shook his head at having fallen for that, but couldn't find it in his heart to be annoyed. He reached for a napkin he'd gotten along with the cone and wiped the strawberry ice cream off his face. Karin's laughter died down to giggles as she watched him.

"It's getting late," he suddenly said. "The lights in Kristov Avenue should be on by now; let's go so you can see them,"

"Ok!" Karin nodded happily. They left the park and walked down the streets, reaching Kristov Avenue. The tourist street was lit beautifully by lanterns and strings of light that were tied from one end of the avenue to the other. The avenue's shops and restaurants were still buzzing with life. Tezuka and Karin walked through it; Tezuka showing the various places he's visited and buying her some street food he's tried in the past, such as pretzels and currywurst.

"Aww, look how cute!" Karin giggled and pointed at target stand where a bunch of plush animals hung. Tezuka followed her glance to see a fluffy brown teddy bear dressed in a black and green lederhosen and feathered alpine hat.

"You want it?" he asked. Karin grinned. "It cute!"

"Let's see if I can win," he approached the stand and the man handling the stand handed him three balls after he paid. The stand manager then set up a pyramid of bottles quite a distance from Tezuka.

"_Drei Versuche!_" the man grinned, holding up three fingers. Tezuka nodded. He hurled the first ball at the pyramid but only managed to hit bottle on top.

"_Zwei Versuche!_" the man teased. However, Tezuka already knew how hard to throw it and at what angle. With all this information, he threw the second ball and knocked down the bottles easily. Karin cheered for Tezuka happily as the stand manager laughed. "_Wählen Sie eine Spielzeug!_"

"_Der bär, bitte_," Tezuka said, his deep voice making the German sound natural. He pointed at the teddy bear in the lederhosen and the man nodded. He reached for it and handed it to Tezuka.

The man grinned. "_Haben Sie eine gute Nacht!_"

"_Danke_," Tezuka thanked. He then walked up to Karin, wrapping an arm around her waist and handing her the teddy bear. "Here you go,"

"I love it when you talk German; it sounds so manly," Karin smiled. Tezuka smiled and kissed her temple. "_Danke_,"

"_Ich liebe dich_, Kuni," Karin nuzzled his chest as they walked, hugging the teddy bear. His arm around her held her tighter. "_Ich liebe dich auch_, Karin,"

**o.O.o**

"Well Tezuka, recover quickly, ok?" Oishi smiled. Tezuka nodded. "I will."

The Seigaku team stood outside the rehabilitation center in front of the bus that will take them to the airport. They all said their goodbyes, telling Tezuka to get better soon so he can come back to Japan in time for the Nationals.

"I don't wanna go!" Karin cried sadly, clinging to Tezuka's leg. Tezuka sighed heavily. "Karin, not this again…"

"I don't wanna!" she insisted, squeezing his leg. The Seigaku team watched the scene in amusement. Coach Ryuzaki however, let out an exasperated sigh. "Karin, let go of Tezuka; you'll see him soon."

"Bull shaiza!" Karin stuck her tongue out. Tezuka rolled his eyes with a smirk at this. The Seigaku team, laughing, began to board the bus, saying their final goodbyes to Tezuka with a pouting Karin clinging to his leg like a three year-old child.

"Karin, your flight's going to leave and Ryuzaki-sensei's going to be angry with you," Tezuka tried to reason with her. Sighing sadly, Karin let go of his leg and stood, almost immediately embracing him by the torso, as he was taller than her. "I'm gonna miss you Kuni,"

"I'll miss you too," he hugged her tightly, but parted a bit from her to face her. "Call me when you get to Japan."

"I will," she nodded. He smiled softly and tucked a loose strand of her chocolate hair behind her ear. He leaned into her and gave her a deep kiss before parting and whispering gently, "I love you,"

"I love you too," Karin smiled softly at his words.

"You guys are soooo cute!" Rin blushed in happiness, sticking her head out the bus window. Karin and Tezuka both looked up and smiled.

After parting from each other, Karin finally boarded the bus. She eyed him from her window and she waved at him. He smiled softly at her and waved back as the bus began to move.

"You're not gonna cry are you?" Sakura teased. Karin smirked. "Shut up, no I'm not!"

"Did he get you the teddy bear?" Naomi asked, pointing at the carry-on backpack she had on her, the lederhosen-clad teddy bear protruding from the backpack. She nodded and took the fluffy teddy bear. "Yup, isn't he adorable?"

"Well, we know who's replacing Jewel in the bed now," Rin joked, knowing Jewel liked to cuddle against Karin during the night. Karin only laughed.


	90. Junior Selection Camp Assemble

"Wow! It's amazing!" Kikumaru gawked out of the bus's window.

"It truly is," Oishi nodded, amazed as well. "I can't believe this is where we're going to be staying."

"This is so exciting!" Karin jumped in her seat. Seigaku, along with other eligible schools, were chosen to participate in the Kanto Junior Selection Camp which takes all the schools in the Kanto district to train at this camp and at the end, a select amount of players are chosen to play at the Goodwill tournament versus the West Coast American team. There is a lot of competition to overcome in this camp.

"Hey, isn't that Hanamura-sensei?" Inui suddenly pointed out. The Seigaku team glanced over at the red car that just pulled up into the parking lot where they stood. From the car emerged Hanamura-sensei, Jyousei Shounan's coach.

"It's been a while," Hanamura smiled as she walked over. "Ryuzaki-sensei, it's nice to see you again."

"Same here. Welcome," Ryuzaki greeted her. Hanamura nodded in acknowledgement. "There will be three players from Jyousei Shounan participating in this camp."

"All of my regulars are participating," Ryuzaki glanced at all of her team. "After all, rules state that the all of the winners of the Kanto Tournament must participate."

It wasn't long before cars and buses began to pull up into the parking lot. From the vehicles came familiar faces that all lined up orderly in front of the three coaches: Hanamura, Ryuzaki and Sakaki (who arrived fashionably late).

"Dude, the whole shebang is here," Karin stood on her tip toes as she gawked over the teams lined up along with Kikumaru. "Jyousei Shounan, Rikkaidai, Fudomine, St. Rudolph, Hyotei, Rokkaku…"

Each school sent a select number of players. Fudomine sent Ibu and Kamio; St. Rudolph sent Yuta, Mizuki and Kisarazu; Yamabuki only sent Sengoku; Hyotei sent Shishido, Otori, Oshitari, Kabaji and naturally, Atobe. Jyousei Shounan sent Kajimoto, Wakato and Shinjou; Rokkaku with David, Saeki, and Kisarazu and finally, Rikkaidai sent Kirihara, Sanada and Yanagi.

"What a bunch of freaks," Karin joked, which made Kikumaru and Momo laugh silently. Oishi rolled his eyes worryingly. "Guys…"

"I'm the General Manager for this camp," Ryuzaki began. "I'm Ryuzaki; it's very nice to meet you all."

"As you all may have heard, the Japanese-American Goodwill Junior Invitational Tournament will be held early this year. Normally, this tournament is held after the Nationals but at the request of the Americans, the time of the tournament has been moved up," Ryuzaki further explained. "At this camp, we will make an overall assessment of the strongest members from each Kanto area school and decide on the members for the Invitational team. Hanamura-sensei will now explain the details regarding the camp."

"We will divide all of you into groups of three and we will conduct the camp in those groups," Hanamura began, "The three coaches will be Ryuzaki-sensei, Sakaki-sensei and myself. While we will be doing practice matches, each group's practice menu will be determined by their head coach. The groups have been posted on the bulletin board in the main hall…" Hanamura trailed off, recalling that amongst all the boys in the camp, there happens to be a girl player. "And Karin-san,"

Karin looked up at her as the coach spoke, "You will have your own separate dorm as you probably don't want to be among the boys, right?"

"Cool, do I get a hot tub?" Karin grinned. Hanamura seemed confused by the question, but Ryuzaki being used to her odd remarks, answered for her. "Don't start, Karin,"

"Got it," Karin grinned. Ryuzaki rolled her eyes and gestured at the people who stood behind her. "Now I'll introduce the rest of the staff: during your time here, there will be specialists taking care of your meals, health care and so forth," she added, "And these are volunteers who will be helping out."

The volunteers were the freshmen trio of Seigaku, Sakuno and her friend Tomo-chan, Fudomine's Ann-chan, Taichi from Yamabuki and Karin's friends, Sakura, Rin and Naomi. Karin was delighted to see them, as she'll have their support, and waved at them excitably, which they returned in favor.

After being dismissed, everyone went into the main hall, desperate to see what group they landed in.

"What group do you think I'm in?" Karin wondered aloud to her friends as they walked together. Naomi shrugged. "I don't know; we couldn't see the lists."

"Maybe you're on Ryuzaki's team?" Rin suggested. Karin shrugged. "Maybe; let's see."

They approached the bulletin boards where all of the camp's players were posted. Kikumaru was apparently placed in Ryuzaki's team long with Oishi and Fuji and his brother were together but on another group.

Karin approached the boards and let her eyes scan over the many names. She finally found her name under Hanamura's team. She then jogged back to her friends, who were standing away from the crowd huddling over the bulletins.

"Well?" Rin asked.

"I'm in Hanamura's group," Karin told them. Sakura shrugged. "Well, better than that dude that was wearing the suit even though its 90 degrees out,"

Karin only laughed.

**o.O.o**

After you found out what group you belonged too, you were required to meet up with your coach for a meeting. Karin was led into a conference room with a round table and elaborate, comfy-looking chairs. In her group was Shinjou, Wakato, the Kisarazu twins, Ibu, Oshiatri, Kabaji and the notorious Atobe.

"What's up Atobe," Karin greeted him as she sat in the only vacant seat, which happened to be adjacent to him. He obviously sat at the end of the table with Kabaji sitting across from where Karin sat now.

"Hello Karin-chan; how's Tezuka's rehabilitation?" he asked. Karin nodded. "It's going well thankfully."

"That's good," Atobe nodded. "And your friend Sakura, how's she doing?"

"You're still trying to get her on a date with you?" Karin laughed. Atobe smirked and flipped his hair. "Ore-sama doesn't give up so easily."

"Good luck; she's stubborn," Karin laughed. Atobe chuckled. "Ore-sama likes a good chase."

It was only a matter of time before Hanamura entered the room, sitting at the head of the table.

"Now, my plan is to create the strongest team and in order to do that, I must know about you individually. That is why I am conducting this meeting," Hanamura started. "In front of each of you is a sheet of paper with a series of questions. There is no need to fill them out; you will answer them aloud when it is your turn, understood?"

Everyone in the room nodded. Hanamura nodded as well and eyed Karin, who sat across the room. Karin's eyes met hers and she inwardly cursed herself. Eye contact is the universal gesture meaning: _you first._

"Ladies first, Karin-san," Hanamura smirked.

Taking the paper in front of her, Karin scanned the questions and read them out loud as she answered them: "My name's Namikaze Karin. Birthday: February 8th. Birthplace: Florida, USA. Blood type: AB, I think—"

"You think?" Hanamura interrupted. Karin shrugged. "I don't know; I've never thought about my blood type before. Ask Sadaharu-chan, he probably knows."

"Alright, continue," Hanamura nodded.

Karin nodded and began again, "School: Seigaku, third year. In a relationship—is this necessary?" Karin asked in surprise. Hanamura nodded, her glasses flashing. "Yes, I can't allow any distractions."

Karin blinked but continued, "In a relationship: yes—"

"With whom?" Hanamura asked.

"Who doesn't know the answer to that?" Atobe chuckled with a smirk. Karin glared at Atobe momentarily before answering, "Tezuka Kunimitsu,"

"Interesting," Hanamura nodded. "Continue."

Karin blinked in confusion but continued nonetheless, "Play style: All-rounder I guess—"

"You guess?" Hanamura asked. Karin, slightly annoyed she was interrupted again for something trivial, answered, "Yeah, it's pretty random; I make it up as I go."

"Continue," Hanamura urged again. Karin read the paper again, happy it was almost at an end, "Dominant hand: Left but I'm ambidextrous. Singles or doubles: I suck at doubles so singles."

"Good," Hanamura nodded.

"I'll go next," Atobe raised the paper and cleared his throat. "My name is Atobe Keigo, obviously. October 4th is my honorable birthday. I was born in London, England. My blood type is A. I'm a third year at Hyotei. In a relationship: currently working on it—"

"Working on it?" Hanamura asked. Atobe merely raised an eyebrow at her. "My play style is all-rounder, I'm right-handed and I'm a singles player," he placed the sheet of paper down and smirked. "It's rude to interrupt when one is talking."

Karin's jaw practically hit the table at the jab Atobe shot at his head coach. Atobe really has no shame, especially when his own ego is being punctured. Hanamura's eyebrow twitched again but remained silent along with the rest of her group.

"Are you really from England?" Karin whispered to him. Atobe kept his eyes fixed on his coach, but nodded, speaking in a perfect English accent, "_Of course I'm from England_,"

Karin nodded in surprise. _I guess you learn something new every day_, she thought, but glanced at Hanamura and Atobe, who were having quite the stare-off. Karin sighed heavily. Atobe has declared war on his own coach. Hanamura's the type of coach that likes to be in control but Atobe is the same type of person. _This is going to be quite the team_, Karin thought.

**Author's Notes****: Regarding Atobe's nationality, it's proven that he used to live in England before attending Hyotei so it's safe to assume that Atobe was born in England and brought up with both English and Japanese culture. I added this because I always thought of Atobe being English-born, especially in the manga where he has blonde hair and blue eyes. Apart from this, thank you all for reading and for the support!**


	91. The Prohibition of Snapple

"How was your first day of practice?" Rin asked sweetly as Karin walked into the cafeteria. It was dinner time for those in the Junior Selection camp and everyone who was in the cafeteria was eating and chatting.

"We didn't _have _practice," Karin said sadly. She, like everyone else, was given to wear the casual wear for the participants of the camp: blue sweatpants and a light blue, almost turquoise, t-shirt with the letters 'JR' sewn on it.

"What do you mean?" Naomi asked. Sakura and Rin stood by her with quizzical expressions. Being volunteers, they were all in the kitchen serving the food.

"We all just sat in a conference room talking about our personal lives and our diets," Karin sighed heavily, a dark and gloomy cloud hanging over her head as she spoke, "Hanamura-sensei's prohibiting me to drink Snapple."

"Damn, for real?" Sakura cringed. Karin nodded. "Yeah, apparently it's too many calories."

"That sucks, Karin," Rin frowned as she placed a tray of food on the counter for her friend. Karin nodded. "Yeah, and I drank my last Snapple before I got here."

"You'll be fine," Naomi reassured her. "With all your training; you'll forget about it."

"Hopefully," Karin forced a smile. With that, Karin took her tray and sat at a vacant seat. Just as she brought the chopsticks full of rice to her lips, a glass bottle of the sacred peach flavored Snapple was placed in front of her. Karin looked up and saw Sakura smirking down at her.

"I checked and we had this one in the fridge," the raven-haired girl grinned. "But we only had this one so if I were you; I'd drink this one and savor it."

"Are you going to be bootlegging Snapple for me now?" Karin laughed.

"Maybe; I'll see what I can do," Sakura laughed as well and pushed the bottle towards Karin. "See you tonight—Naomi told me we're all roommates."

"Cool, see you later," Karin smiled gratefully at her friend as she waltzed back into the kitchens. Looking down at the Snapple bottle, Karin laughed. Sakura is the type of person to put her needs aside and help those she cares for; she always finds a way to get you what you need—in Karin's case, an international phone to call Tezuka in Germany and now, a Snapple.

"Is this seat taken?" a deep voice asked. Looking up, Karin's eyes met those of Oshitari Yushi's.

"Ah, no—go ahead," Karin blinked. The boy nodded and sat down in the seat across from her. His blue eyes drifted towards the Snapple bottle she held and raised a curious eyebrow. "Aren't you forbidden to drink that?"

"Don't you know I'm not part of the system?" Karin popped the bottle open and took a sip. Oshitari chuckled softly. "Hanamura-sensei won't be very happy about that."

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her," Karin laughed. Oshitari merely chuckled.

"So, you were born in Florida?" he suddenly asked. Karin was taken by surprise with the question and raised an eyebrow. Why is this guy questioning her so randomly? And why is he sitting with her? Shouldn't he be sitting with Atobe?

"Yeah, I was," Karin nodded.

"Is Sakura-chan from Florida too?" he asked quite casually. Karin took another sip, her eyebrows raised in question. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm just curious since you two are such good friends," Oshitari shrugged.

"What does that have to do with Sakura being from Florida?" Karin smirked. Oshitari returned the smirk but said nothing. His violet eyes trailed lazily to the side as he rested his cheek on his palm. Karin followed his glance to Atobe, who sat with the other Hyotei team members at the end of the table.

"Atobe's behind this, isn't he?" Karin questioned. Oshitari let out a laugh. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't," Karin rolled her eyes. "Is it six or seven million Atobe bucks?"

"Atobe bucks?" Oshitari asked with an amused grin.

"Yeah, doesn't he have his own country with his own currency?" Karin joked, which made Oshitari laugh. "He's not a paying me but you're right—he asked me to get a bit of information."

"So you're like Atobe's secret service?" Karin asked, "The secret service that protects the country of Atopia and its King?"

Oshitari's expression was a mix between amusement, shock and delight. Through chuckles, he managed to speak, "All I want to know is if Sakura-chan's from Florida,"

"Yes, she is," Karin grinned amusingly. Oshitari only laughed softly.

"I'm surprised; don't people from Hyotei get offended when someone makes fun of Atobe?" Karin grinned. Oshitari pushed his circular glasses up the bridge of his nose. "If anyone in Hyotei pokes fun at Atobe, it's me."

"Really? I mean—what isn't there to make fun of when you think about it?" Karin laughed and deepened her voice, trying her best at an Atobe impression. "_Ar~n_!"

Oshitari snickered at her impersonation of Atobe's habitual aphorism. "You really are something Karin-chan."

**o.O.o**

"There's nothing to watch on TV," Karin pouted as she surfed the channels. "Not even anime!"

The room Karin and her friends were staying in was pretty big, having four separate beds, closets and two nightstands.

"Try looking at the channel catalog," Rin suggested as she looked up from a photography magazine she brought along with her. Hearing this, Sakura reached over to her nightstand and pulled out the channel catalog from it. She tossed it to Karin, "Here, see if this helps."

"Thanks," Karin smiled and flipped through it.

"Have you called Tezuka?" Naomi asked, organizing the drawers she put her clothing in. Karin looked up from the catalog and nodded. "Yeah, I only had a few minutes though because he had to do some kind of treatment."

"Did he say that _ichi libing_-whatever?" Rin asked with a smile. Karin laughed. "It's _ich liebe dich_; and yes, he always says that to me before he hangs up."

"You guys are adorable," Sakura grinned.

Suddenly, there was knocking at the door. All four girls looked over quizzically.

"I'll get it," Sakura announced and approached the door. She opened it and at the door was Tachibana Ann, the Fudomine captain's sister.

"Hey Ann-chan," Sakura greeted. "What brings you here?"

"Has Kirihara been around here?" she asked. Sakura blinked and stepped aside to look back at her friends. "Karin, who's Kirihara again?"

"No, he hasn't been around here," Karin shook her head. "Why?"

"It's nothing," she shook her head, somewhat frowning as she said so. She then turned and jogged down the hall, "Thanks anyway!"

"What's up with her?" Naomi raised a brow. Karin shrugged. "No idea."


	92. An Interesting Doubles Match

"Today, we will hold practice matches," Hanamura began, cradling a clipboard in her hand.

Her group stood before her in the courts, listening attentively to what she had to say. It wasn't too early in the morning, but it wasn't exactly late either. Karin yawned widely and sighed. Today, tensions have been high in Ryuzaki's group due to an incident that happened last night. Apparently, Kamio is being accused of pushing Kirihara down a flight of stairs. However, Kirihara claims he just fell and he was alone when it happened. So either Kirihara is telling the truth about falling or he's protecting Kamio for some strange reason.

"My purpose is to gather data so that I can apply my theory to each of you," Hanamura continued. "Therefore, the members chosen for Invitational Team will not be based on these matches."

"Is this the _Coordination _theory Jyosei Shounan's known for?" Atobe raised an eyebrow.

"At least we don't lose to Hyotei on popularity with the girls," Wakato sneered with a smirk.

"Ohh!" Karin laughed. "He told you like it is, Atobe!"

"Please," Atobe rolled his eyes. "Popularity is what they wished they had."

Wakato scoffed in defeat, making Atobe chuckle. Karin raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Damn, don't be so harsh man,"

"He started it," the arrogant Hyotei captain swayed his hand.

"Be quiet please," Hanamura hushed them. Once she was sure they were all paying attention, she cleared her throat and brought her clipboard up to read. "The first match will be doubles," she began. "The pairs are…"

She looked up and scanned her group. Whether she was picking them right then and there or she had already planned out their partners was beyond them.

"Shinjou and Ibu," she announced. The two boys eyed each other in the group but said nothing. Hanamura continued, "And Oshitari and Karin-san."

"For real?" Karin groaned. "I hate doubles!"

"Don't complain," the coach glared at her. "I want to see what you're capable of when faced with your weakness."

"Oh shaiza," Karin rolled her eyes.

Now standing on the court, Karin spun her racquet on her fingers. Her group had moved to watch from behind the court's fence. Momo, Kikumaru and Echizen also showed up and were going to watch the match alongside her team.

"I may or may not hit you with my serves," Karin joked.

Oshitari raised an amused brow. "You're not a bad doubles player; I don't know why you're complaining."

"It's just weird having another person on the court with me," Karin shrugged. Oshitari chuckled. "We'll figure something out,"

Karin nodded and grinned.

Getting into position on the court, Shinjou was first to serve. He dribbled the ball on the concrete before tossing it over his head and serving it normally. Karin, being the front guard this turn, watched it whiz by. Oshitari was receiving player and so he returned the ball quite easily.

Ibu was right in position however, and returned the ball with an underhand slice. However, Karin sprang into action and she hit the ball with her back to the net.

"Love-15!"

"Every time he hits the ball my eye twitches," Karin laughed. "I still have muscle memory from when I got stabbed in the eye with my own racquet."

Oshitari chuckled. "Good volley, Karin-chan,"

"Thanks," Karin smiled.

Shinjou dribbled the ball, readying himself to serve. This time, Karin was at the baseline and she watched carefully as Shinjou tossed the ball and served it swiftly. Her keen eyesight detected the ball's rotation change from a top spin to a slice.

Drawing her racquet back, Karin swung at the serve but she lost control of it and made the ball fly towards the fence behind Shinjou.

"15 all!"

Karin sighed heavily as Oshitari approached her. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," he spoke gently and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I have a plan,"

"Already? You're fast," Karin blinked. Oshitari nodded. "I need you to cover the front—at _all_ times."

"Got it," Karin nodded. He looked like he knew what he was doing and according to Inui, this guy was the best at making game strategies. She then laughed. "My eye's going to look like it's having a seizure though."

"You'll be fine," Oshitari rolled his eyes playfully.

Shinjou tossed the ball over his head and served his famed Mirage once more. Oshitari smirked at this and stepped back way behind the baseline.

"Whatever kind of ball you hit won't matter if I'm this far back behind the baseline," Oshitari drew his arm back as the serve bounced towards him. "It'll just be an ordinary ball."

Oshitari returned the ball swiftly as if it was nothing. It crossed over the net but Ibu was right there to take it and send it right back. However, as soon as he did so, Karin was a step ahead and pinpointed a smash directly at the corner of the baseline.

"15-30!"

"You know you don't have to hit it into the singles court right?" Oshitari chuckled. Karin grinned sheepishly. "It's a force of habit,"

The Mirage was broken. Every time Shinjou would hit a Mirage, Karin, who was full-time front guard, would let it go through her and let Oshitari take care of it. Since they would switch between serves on who was rear guard and who was front guard, both Oshitari and Karin would knowingly switch to their strategic locations without any type of signal. Karin easily adapted to changes and went with the flow which saved Oshitari from explaining more than was needed, which he was thankful for.

It was Ibu's turn to serve now. He dribbled the ball before tossing it in the air and serving. Karin watched as the ball dipped and smirked. It was the Kick Serve; a serve that she's extremely familiar with and returned it easily. Strangely enough, Ibu went for her return and shot it right back. This time however, aiming at Oshitari. He returned casually but as the rally progressed it became clear that all of Ibu's shots were directed at Oshitari.

_He's targeting him_, Karin watched Ibu slice the ball at Oshitari, who returned. When Ibu returned, he swung a topspin. Karin's eyes narrowed. _He wants to use the Spot on him._

Sure enough, when Oshitari swung at the next return, his arm seemed to freeze momentarily. Karin saw this and sprung in front of him. She surprised everyone watching the match, including her doubles partner.

"I got you covered!" she hit the ball back. Oshitari was astonished but smiled and ran back to cover her empty side of the court. He heard Karin was unpredictable like hitting shots with her back to the net and between her legs, but he never knew she was this spontaneous.

The rallies were endless, but Karin managed to use her old trick of switched hands throughout shots to beat the Spot and Oshitari retreating back to return the Mirages. Ibu attempted one last return towards Oshitari, but he failed to notice the unpredictable Karin come up from behind Oshitari and swing at the ball. A perfect hit to the corner of the baseline and as a force of habit, it was still in the singles court.

"Game and match! Oshitari-Namikaze pair!"

"Where did you come from?" Oshitari chuckled as he turned to face her. Karin snapped her fingers. "Don't you know I'm a ninja? It's my part-time job."

"You were great for someone who says they suck at doubles," he grinned and high fived her. Karin laughed. "I guess I have my moments,"

Oshitari chuckled and playfully pulled her hat over her eyes, making her yelp. "You have to work on not hitting it into the singles court though."

"It's a force of habit!" she pouted.


	93. The Case is Solved

Today, Hanamura decided that her team would do weights and cardio in the training room. Everyone was working diligently as Hanamura overlooked them. She assigned everyone a specific machine or workout, whether it be cardio or weights, to further improve her "coordination" theory.

Karin jogged on her treadmill at a decent speed. Apparently she was lacking cardio so Hanamura assigned her to the treadmill. Hanamura would come around often and switch the controls on the treadmill to her taste, which would usually result in a bigger incline or an increase in speed. Karin tried not to complain but couldn't help but laugh when Atobe would question Hanamura's strategies and say he preferred to do weight training rather than cardio because "no one knows his perfect body he does". The exchanges between them are childish and Karin can't help but enjoy them.

"Having fun there?" a deep voice questioned. Karin turned her head to see Oshitari stand on the treadmill next to hers. Karin rolled her eyes and smiled, nodding over to the childish argument Atobe and their coach were having about why he should do cardio instead of weights. "Trying to enjoy the scenery,"

"Atobe's too prideful sometimes," the bespectacled boy chuckled. As he said this, he held out a water bottle to Karin, bouncing it in his hand in a gesture. "Here; I think you need this."

"I'm fine, thank you," Karin shook her head. Oshitari smirked and pressed the buttons on the treadmill with his free hand, the other still holding up the water bottle at her. "No, take it. You need it."

"Do I look _that_ tired?" Karin raised an eyebrow but took it. Oshitari shrugged and began to jog on the treadmill. "That's not what I mean."

Karin, confused about what he meant, sipped from the straw of the water bottle and was almost blasted to the moon from joy. It was Snapple! Peach-flavored and ice cold—it was perfect!

"Told you," Oshitari chuckled at seeing her big blue eyes widen in shock and utter happiness. Gleefully, Karin drank the Snapple in savoring gulps.

"Karin-san, try not to drink while running," Hanamura passed by her with a clipboard.

"Sorry," Karin apologized quickly through her frantic drinking. Oshitari chuckled. "What's Sakura-chan's favorite color?"

"Atobe's a sneaky bastard," Karin shook her head with a laugh. "This is his bribe?"

"It might be," he shrugged with a smirk.

"Purple," Karin replied and sighed when she finished the last of the Snapple in the bottle. As she did so, Hanamura called out to her. "Karin-san, come here!"

"Busted," Oshitari teased quietly. Karin laughed and pressed the stop button. She walked over to her coach and was surprised to see Echizen with her. Karin grinned. "What's up Ryo-chan?"

"Ryuzaki-sensei wants to see you," Hanamura gestured at the freshman. "Echizen-kun is the messenger."

"Oh, ok," Karin raised an eyebrow in confusion but said nothing as Hanamura walked away, adding, "Don't keep her too long, she needs to train."

"Of course," Echizen nodded boringly and walked out with Karin at his heels. As they walked down the hallway, Karin finally spoke. "What does Sumire-chan want?"

"Nothing, I just said that because I need to talk to you," Echizen stopped and turned to her. Karin watched as he dug his hand into his pocket and fished out something in his fist. He opened his hand to reveal a turquoise hair clip.

"This isn't yours, is it?" Echizen asked. Karin shook her head and took it from him. "No, I don't wear hair clips," she said as she examined it.

"I found it near the stairs where Kirihara fell," he spoke quietly. Karin's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"Since you're a girl, I figured you would know who it belonged to," Echizen explained. "I knew it wasn't yours, but I wanted to make sure."

"Well, Naomi and Rin wear hairclips but they don't look like that," Karin pointed. "Sakura wears them sometimes but I doubt she pushed Kirihara down the stairs. She'll push Atobe but not Kirihara."

Echizen smirked a bit at this but it didn't last long. "The only other girls are Sakuno-san and her friend but they don't wear hairclips like this. It only leaves—"

"Tachibana's sister," Karin frowned. "Come to think of it, the night before he fell down the stairs she came by my dorm asking if we'd seen Kirihara."

"So it was her," Echizen concluded. Karin sighed heavily and eyed the hairclip in her hand. "Look, I'll talk to her about this."

"You do that," Echizen nodded and began making his way down the hallway. "I'll take care of Kirihara."

Karin nodded and made her way through the facility. She asked the freshmen trio if they'd seen Ann, which to her delight they did and pointed in the direction where they'd seen her go. Karin opened a door where Ryuzaki's team was supposed to meet up for a meeting and found her in there surprised that no one was present.

Ann looked startled that Karin entered the room but smiled. "Oh, hi Karin-chan," she greeted.

Karin ceased her eyebrows and approached her, pulling out the hairclip and showing it to her. "This is yours isn't it?"

Ann looked down at the hairclip and gulped. Karin sighed. "I figured as much. Echizen found it by the stairs where Kirihara fell. It was you, wasn't it? The one that pushed him?"

"I—I didn't push him!" she insisted sadly. "He fell on his own!"

"Well, whatever happened between you two caused a big problem," Karin explained. "Kamio's being blamed for pushing him down the stairs and he's trying to hunt down whoever did it to prove his innocence."

"Kamio?" Ann stuttered in shock. "I didn't know…"

"I think you should go and confess to everyone what happened," Karin suggested.

"I—I have to go," Ann stuttered and bolted past Karin. As she did so, she stopped dead in her tracks when Kamio, Momo, Kikumaru, Oishi and Kajimoto.

"Why did you do it, Ann-chan?" Kamio asked softly. "I understand you're angry about Tachibana-san but you have no right to push anyone down a flight of—"

"It wasn't like that!" she cried.

"Then what happened?" he cried back, making tears form in her eyes. Sobbing, she fell to her knees. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry! I didn't mean—"

"Ann-chan, it's ok," Karin knelt down beside her and put her hand on her shoulder. "It's ok, just tell us what really happened."

She explained her story. How she told Kirihara that if he hurt anyone else that she would never forgive him. How it was his fault that her brother wasn't in the camp with them. Kirihara however, instigated the fire within her when he insulted Tachibana's title as one of the best players in Kyushu and brushed off the great respect she has for him. Angry, she went to slap him but he stepped back to dodge it. As he did so, he miscalculated the distance between him and the stairs and fell down when he lost his balance. Scared and shocked at what happened, Ann reacted by running away. She was glad he wasn't hurt too bad but she didn't know it caused such a big problem.

"I understand your feelings, Ann-chan," Kamio nodded. "I don't blame you. I haven't fully forgiven him either."

Karin sighed in relief. At least this whole drama has finally been sorted out. Now, while this has been happening, what has Echizen been up to…?

"Hey guys!" a voice called out as footsteps stomped over to them. It was Shishido and Choutaro. "It's Echizen and Kirihara! They're having a match!"

_Damn it Ryo-chan_, Karin sighed heavily.

Upon going outside, the group found Kirihara and Echizen rallying like there was no tomorrow. The freshmen trio, who were watching the match since it started, said that Echizen was in the lead. However, the moment they'd all arrived, Echizen feinted a smash which Kirihara thought was going to be a drop volley. However, as he approached the net for it, Echizen lobbed the ball behind him. Kirihara made an attempt to return it but fell back in the process. He stood up and when he was on his feet, he licked his lips in his signature way.

"It was like that time…with Tachibana-san…" Kamio gripped the fence in anger.

"But his eyes aren't red," Momo pointed out. Karin nodded, squinting, noticing that what Momo said was indeed true. "Momo's right."

"Do you think he really changed?" Oishi questioned.

"There's only one way to find out," Karin nodded towards the match.

The rallies were endless between the two. It was only until Kirihara made a drop volley that made everyone tense. They watched as Echizen went for the net in an attempt to get to the volley.

"No Echizen! Don't approach the net!" Kamio cried. But it was too late. Echizen approached the net and lobbed the ball. Kirihara was ready for this and drew his arm back for a smash. This mirrored his previous match with Fuji where he was at the net and he smashed the ball to his knee. However, to everyone's shock and relief, Kirihara smashed the ball towards the baseline.

"He didn't aim for his knee," Oishi sighed in relief.

"I guess he has changed," Karin smiled.

Kamio nodded and smiled softly. "I guess he has…"

"Oh?" a familiar voice called out from behind them. "Playing matches in your free time? That's very admirable."

Karin turned along with those who stood alongside her. She grinned and waved. "Hey Sumire-chan! Long time no see!"

As Karin greeted her however, she noticed that her coach hadn't responded to her. Her eyes widened when she saw her topple to the ground on her knees and grip her chest in pain.

"Sumire-chan!"


End file.
